By: Jake Yan

One of the big problems that scientist has been trying to solve for many years is pollution in the ocean. Recently they found a plastic consuming worm known as the superworm. Lots of scientists believe this might be the solution to the plastics in the ocean.

The superworm is the length of a paper clip. Researchers found out that the super worm can eat plastic waste in the ocean. That made scientist wonder if they put those worms in an area where is crowded with plastics. That might be the end of the polluting problem. Pollution is a big problem because fish and endangered species might think that plastic waste is food. Those plastics might end up killing them. If humans eat them, then we could get terribly sick, or even die.

Superworms are tropical insects, hailing from Central and South America. At this point, however, they have been made available throughout the world. They can be found burrowing in soil amongst fallen trees and decaying vegetation. They enjoy dark, moist spaces, so you are most likely to find them in areas that have at least low levels of humidity. However, they’ve become widespread around the world and can even be found in deserts. If they have access to decaying organic matter, and a moisture-rich home to retreat to, these hardy insects can persist in a wide variety of habitats.

The superworm might be the solution to the plastic problem that scientists have been looking for many years. On the other hand, it might also be the beginning of a new garbage that will be polluted in the ocean will be even harder to decompose than plastics.