--- title: "Scientists Gene-Hack Bacteria to Turn Waste Plastic Into Kevlar-Like Spider Silk" description: "Researchers gene-hacked a strain of bacteria to turn wasteful polyethylene plastic into a spider silk-like material as strong as Kevlar." date: "2024-01-27" modified: "2024-01-27" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/gene-hack-bacteria-spider-silk" categories: - "Bacteria" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "bacteria" - "gene hacking" - "sustainability" - "the byte" --- # Scientists Gene-Hack Bacteria to Turn Waste Plastic Into Kevlar-Like Spider Silk ![Researchers gene-hacked a strain of bacteria to turn wasteful polyethylene plastic into a spider silk-like material as strong as Kevlar.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Upcycling Goals Now *that's* how you upcycle. In a [recent study](), researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute were able to gene-hack a strain of bacteria to turn wasteful polyethylene plastic into a spider silk-like material as strong as Kevlar — a fascinating way to transform harmful trash into a resilient and versatile biomaterial. Polyethylene, which is used in single-use plastics like shopping bags and bottles, reigns as the [most used plastic in the world](); it may not be surprising, then, to know that it's also one of the world's biggest pollutants. It can take [anywhere from 20 years to nearly a century]() for polyethylene plastics to decompose, and very little of it ever actually gets recycled. Figuring out what to do to counter its ubiquity is a serious and ongoing problem — and that, excitingly, is where this spider silk discovery from the Rensselaer researchers comes in. As the scientists explain in their study, published in October in the journal *Microbial Cell Factories*, they were able to use genomics to create *Pseudomonas aeruginosa*, a new strain of plastic-munching bacteria integrated with [recombinant genes]() — or new alleles created through a process of breaking-down and piec**ing**-back-together DNA from different critters — for a "spider dragline-inspired silk protein." The result? A sustainable process that simultaneously eliminates plastic and creates a strong, protein-packed new material. ## Waxen Feast The Rensselaer scientists aren't the [first researchers]() to try to copycat spider silk. It's surprisingly [strong and complex]() for its apparent fragility, making it a natural engineering marvel — or, as study coauthor and assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering Helen Zha put it in a [statement](), it's "nature's Kevlar." "It can be nearly as strong as steel under tension," said the researcher. "However, it's six times less dense than steel, so it's very lightweight." To be clear, the bacteria aren't chomping down on plastic goods outright. As noted in the study, the researchers had to first [depolymerize]() the plastic goods, applying pressure to heat them into a soft and waxy substance; this waxy concoction is what's fed to the bacteria and, after a process of bacteria-abetted fermentation, ultimately converted into the powerful biomaterial. Better yet: no extra chemicals needed. "What's really exciting about this process," said Zha, "is that unlike the way plastics are produced today, our process is low-energy and doesn't require the use of toxic chemicals." Per a [press release](), the scientists are now exploring whether it's possible to replicate the low-energy and low-toxicity concept on a bigger scale. "The best chemists in the world could not convert polyethylene into spider silk, but these bacteria can," said Zha. "We're really harnessing what nature has developed to do manufacturing for us." **More on recycling:** [*Scientists Say Recycling Has Backfired Spectacularly*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()