A consortium of microbes may hold the key to a knotty problem humans have on hand: safe disposal of plastic bags. These convenient carry bags, made of polythene, have a stubborn resistance to biological decay. Left alone, less than 0.5 per cent of the stuff will degrade in 100 years! Now, researchers at the National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, have stumbled upon a cocktail of bugs, mainly algae, which can hasten the decomposition process. These microbes, collected from lakes in and around Lucknow, were found to form thin biofilms which subsequently left these tough plastic bags soft and decomposed. What made the bugs act tough on polythene? The scientists do not know yet, but it could be due to their harsh life out there. The lakes they were picked up from are known for their low nutrient content.

Munch to improve memory

Is your school-going child complaining of not being able to memorise his/her lessons? Pack a mid-morning snack for him/her. A study by researchers from Bangalore’s St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences conducted on nearly 70 schoolchildren from both low and high socio-economic strata showed that consumption of a mid-morning snack with appropriate energy compensation through a smaller breakfast or lunch boosts the memory. Their paper published in a recent issue of Physiological Behaviour pins the trick on a more evenly distributed energy intake. Unfortunately, it is not found to have any effect on attention.