Tiny gut “sponge” bacteria found to flush out toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”
Tiny gut “sponge” bacteria found to flush out toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”
Doesn't really seem like they'll get rid of what's already in the bloodstream and no real mention of safety yet, but it looks promising.
I wonder if there are other ways pfas might be circulated out of the bloodstream and back into the digestive system to be collected by this microfauna.
One of the ways oats and oatmeal reduce the amount of cholesterol in your body is by binding to the cholesterol in bile so it's excreted instead of being re-absorbed. So the cholesterol could already be in the bloodstream, converted into bile, then excretes with the oats once it's combined. This clearly has multiple essential organs helping the process, but still, a mechanism like this could still make a difference over time.
There's some evidence for the same mechanism of action reducing PFAS:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041008X24003879
https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01165-8
Time to start donating blood regularly. Someone else will get plastics sure, but they'll need the blood for more pressing reasons.
As long as it doesn't hurt the PFAS industry profit margins.
/s
The fact that this /s was even slightly needed :(
Omg, ikr?
People automatically start removed about anything ever so slightly restricting harmful corporation's actions even when they aren't even involved with the profits (which also shouldn't matter, but it's funny that it's not even their greed, just brainwashed by propaganda they happily repeat & would die for).
fast track that stuff.
The world is already full of PFAS, us included.
Whoops, long term studies show it turns the host into a zombie after 4 years.
its just as well, i dont think I got more than two Halloweens in me
I'll take the whole case.
Awesome, nature finds a way. Wonder how common this removal is with other things, also, engineering one for nanoplastic removal would be a huge win!
There has been found a fungus that evolved to consume microplastics already! https://lamycosphere.com/en-int/blogs/the-futur-is-fungi/plastikfressende-pilze-sind-eine-naturliche-losung-fur-die-umweltverschmutzungskrise?srsltid=AfmBOopXsq1C4V3QswKk2bVz1-Y9NNbbDa5VhLclmQyVl-LkNqrijkvl
And a black one that consumes radiation! They’re working on a way to use that as a self healing radiation shielding in space! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiotrophic_fungus
Estimations indicate that approximately a 21 cm thick layer could significantly deflect the annual amount of radiation received on Mars’ surface.
I'm waiting for people to start using leeches again to treat pfas in the blood.
That's actually a valid treatment! Although really they'd probably just take a pint here and there. When you do, the body produces new, pure blood.
Yup, most efficient is to donate plasma, can reduce levels by a third in 6 months.
Regular plasma donation is the most effective treatment. Blood donation works, too, but you can only donate blood every two months, versus plasma donations up to twice a week.
Bloodletting all the way.
But donate it.
The pefapocalyps is coming. Why does fluor have to be such a clingy sensitive removed clinging to cheats-with-anyone carbon? Now carbon is in a toxic relationship :(
Oh fuck I mean I would love this to be real but this is going to be abused so much in the next couple years. Supermarket shelves and social media posts will fucking be filled with drinks and pills containing (probably nonviable forms) these bacteria by the loads. Good luck everyone.
Also most of us already have enough microplastic embedded in our brains to last a lifetime.
And a few years later the bacteria is found to cause even worse diseases...
I know it's a joke, but that's almost certainly not going to be the case. Pathogenic bacteria have fundamentally different metabolism and genes.
What is more likely is either: ecological imbalance or the bacteria only metabolises the harmful chemicals under extreme deprivation of other carbon sources, which is never realistic, so they never do
But it is neutralized by microplastics...
But before that they will discover some nutrients which are very beneficial for this bacteria so people will also consume that by the loads.
That’s fucking great! I hope they are safe to use in people and make it to market soon.
Then 20 years from now, we’ll all have micro sponges in our ovaries and testicles.
Imagine talking about a bacteria that could save lives and never naming it! For those who want to know, it's in the nature article: E.coli and pseudomonas are the ones cited in the source document, widely spread bacteria already in your gut. Sooooo...
Soooo... Regular gut biome already does this? Or are they talking about the e.coli that gives you the shits and food poisoning? Cause if its the latter, yes it will clean you quickly... Together will all liquids in your digestive system
You saved me a click!
If they're already in my gut, does that mean I have less forever chemicals in me than otherwise?
That looks like a mitochondria, which is the powerhouse of the cell.
So you poop them out into the water and perpetuate the cycle
You shouldn't drink poop water my friend
Good enough for astronauts, good enough for , lol_idk
All water is poop water
Everything lasts forever until it doesn't.