SYDNEY: A team of Australian scientists is genetically modifying a common species of bee so that it can consume more of the organic waste produced by humans.
Black soldier bees are already used commercially to consume organic waste (such as leftover food). However, their ability to produce fat-containing compounds and enzymes can also be increased by modifying their genetics to increase their waste consumption.
In their scientific paper, the team from Sydney’s Macquarie University outlined their hopes for these bees and how they could reduce the amount of the world-warming gas methane.
Dr Kate Tepper, lead author of the paper, said: “We are heading for climate catastrophe and landfills release methane. We have to reduce this quantity to zero.
Dr. Kate Tepper has begun to transform the genetics of bees in a university lab supervised by Dr. Masijo Maselko.
Insects are the next target to tackle the world’s waste problem (with food waste alone amounting to close to 1 arbiton), said Dr Masijo Maselko.
