This 79-year-old man has been delivering parcels in Jamshedpur for 33 years: ‘Love keeps me going’A 79-year-old man who delivers parcels across Jamshedpur is winning hearts online with his inspiring outlook on work and life. Published on: Aug 26, 2026
U.S. President Trump has submitted to Congress for review an agreement with Saudi Arabia aimed at bolstering the kingdom's civilian nuclear program, but continues to insist that it won't move forward if Saudi Arabia doesn't normalise relations with Israel
Bitcoin rose above $80,000 to hit a more than three-month high on Tuesday as a soft U.S. dollar, in the wake of the moves by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to calm the bond market, revived momentum in the crypto sector. U.S. President Donald Trump last week called on Congress to pass
‘Attack on Islam’: Owaisi criticises Allahabad HC order on Hijab in schoolsOwaisi has strongly criticised the Allahabad HC's order, dismissing a petition filed by a school student seeking permission to wear a Hijab. Updated on: Aug 26, 2026
20 rebel TMC MPs get Lok Sabha notices on Abhishek Banerjee’s disqualification plea, seeks response within 7 daysThe secretariat has asked the MPs to furnish their comments on the petition within seven days of receipt of the notice Updated on: Aug 26, 2026
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.Here’s how to style a black saree like Kiara Advani for the ultimate dark romance lookKiara Advani wore a pre-draped Manish Malhotra Italian velvet sari with a cathedral-inspired lace
You thought calcium was enough for strong bones? This surgeon says think again Published on: Aug 26, 2026, 10:15:19 IST By Sanya Panwar Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Doug Lucas says you also need protein, resistance training, and key nutrients to prevent bone loss
UK vlogger visits Chandigarh, says it feels ‘miles different’ from major Indian cities: ‘Everything is organised'A UK vlogger praised Chandigarh's organised layout and green spaces, contrasting it with chaotic Indian cities. Published on: Aug 26, 2026
Cookies Made Of Plastic
Cookies Made Of Plastic? Why Scientists Are Turning Trash Into Microbes You Can Actually Eat
Got Question about the News?
Would you bite into a cookie if someone told you its ingredients once included a plastic bottle? Sounds like a food trend gone very wrong. But scientists are exploring exactly that idea, not by putting plastic directly into food, but by using microbes to transform plastic waste into edible biomass.
The unusual experiment is part of a NASA-funded project looking at how future astronauts could produce food during long-duration missions, where carrying enough supplies from Earth may not be practical.
A cookie that began life as a plastic bottle sounds like science fiction, yet researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale have turned the idea into a working prototype. Called µBites (pronounced “microbites"), these protein-rich, 3D-printed cookies are made from PET plastic, the material used in most water and soda bottles combined with agricultural waste such as corn stalks and leaves.
Not quite in the way you might imagine. Researchers are working with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the type of plastic commonly used in water and soft-drink bottles. The plastic is first broken down using a high-temperature, high-pressure process involving water and oxygen. This converts the tough material into compounds that microorganisms can use.
Specially selected bacteria or yeast are then introduced. These microbes essentially consume the carbon-rich compounds and convert them into biomass containing proteins, fats and sugars.
That biomass can then be processed into a paste, fed into a 3D food printer and shaped into familiar foods, including cookies, before being baked or cured.
The process starts with oxidative hydrothermal dissolution: water and oxygen under high heat and pressure break the plastic and plant matter into small molecular fragments. Engineered yeast strains then “eat" those fragments and convert them into proteins, fats and organic acids. Additional yeast strains create natural vanilla flavouring from plant biomass and beta-carotene (which adds colour and a vitamin A precursor) from compounds found in the plastic itself.
The resulting nutrient-dense paste is mixed with fibre, starch and sweetener, then 3D-printed into cookie shapes and cooked.
The cookies have reportedly not been approved for human tasting. Researchers are awaiting institutional approval before testing them on people. So, despite the eye-catching headlines about edible plastic, these are still experimental food products rather than something you can expect to find on a supermarket shelf.
The researchers have, however, reportedly found that the experimental cookies score well when it comes to aroma. For now, µBites remain a research prototype. The team has not yet received approval for human taste tests, though the cookies have scored well on aroma. Production currently costs about $60 per kilogram, and the researchers are still refining flavour and appearance to make the product more appealing.
The answer is less about replacing your favourite chocolate chip cookie and more about survival in extreme environments.
For astronauts travelling to Mars, a round trip could take years. Every kilogram of food, packaging and equipment sent from Earth matters. The idea is that waste materials, including plastic packaging, could potentially become a source of carbon for producing new food rather than simply being discarded.
The concept could eventually have applications beyond space travel too, including submarines or disaster-response settings where food supplies are limited.
Researchers are exploring whether microbes can help turn materials that would otherwise become waste into useful resources. The project comes as scientists search for new ways to address both plastic pollution and future food demand.
But there is a long road between an experimental 3D-printed cookie and a food that is proven safe, nutritious, affordable and acceptable to consumers.
The plastic-based cookies have not yet been approved for human tasting, and there is a long process to prove them safe, nutritious, affordable, and acceptable to consumers.
The technology of turning plastic into edible microbes is being explored as a way to address both plastic pollution and future food demand. Scientists are also investigating whether fungi or their enzymes could be used to break down difficult plastic waste.
Agricultural waste, such as almond hulls, citrus peels, pistachio shells, wheat and paddy stalks, and sugarcane bagasse, could become future food sources. Additionally, unused wheat noodles are being explored for conversion into biodegradable materials.
Source: News18
Related Posts: These Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cookies Are Incredibly Decadent For Easter Weeekend Mango Thumbprint Cookies Are Cute Yet Tasty Treats That Is Surprisingly Easy To Make Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies To Make For Your Loved Ones This Valentine's Day Oreo to debut zero-sugar cookies in the US this January Thumb Print Cookies Makes For Delicious Homemade Gifts For Christmas Dubai-Style Cookies Have Become The Latest Viral Food Craze In South Korea Stainless Steel Vs Plastic Lunch Box How Cannes learnt to manage dissent A 28-Year-Old Packet Found In Pipeline Reveals Terrifying Truth About Plastic This Hill Station Banned Plastic Bottles To Beat Pollution — You Can Buy Hot Water For Rs 10 Here
India, Canada could sign investment protection pact by end of year: SitharamanIndia and Canada aim to finalize an investment protection pact by year-end, announced Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Toronto visit. Updated on: Aug 26, 2026, 10:32:12 IST By Anirudh Bhattacharyya
3 minutes ago
While most Class 12 students are focused on board exams, college admissions and choosing a career path, Kerala’s Raul John Aju has already started building a name for himself in artificial intelligence (AI). Popularly known online as “Raul the Rockstar" and sometimes referred to as the “AI
4 minutes ago
The “economic onslaught” that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has declared on Iran's financial connections around the world may have one major caveat, says China. Beijing is Iran's biggest trading partner and its leading oil buyer. While the U.S
1 minutes ago
India’s economy is showing resilience despite a fragile global environment marked by geopolitical tensions, renewed US tariffs and persistent trade uncertainties, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) latest ‘State of the Economy’ article. The RBI said robust domestic demand
4 minutes ago
Indian tennis’ Asian Games mess: AITA, SAI trade claims over five players cut from squadAITA says it fought for five tennis players, SAI says they were never shortlisted. Conflicting claims deepen India’s messy Asian Games selection row. Updated on: Aug 26, 2026
4 minutes ago
Singapore has charged a British man for theft more than two years after he allegedly stole a denim jacket from a store at the airport shopping mall. The police were alerted to the theft in the evening of 14 August 2024 when a retail assistant at Singapore's Changi Airport realised a blue denim
3 minutes ago
The farewell Roger Federer missed: New York lights up Arthur Ashe with drone tribute for US Open legendRoger Federer returned to Arthur Ashe six years after his last US Open, winning two exhibitions before a spectacular drone tribute gave the icon his farewell Updated on: Aug 26, 2026
4 minutes ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (August 23, 2026) called upon the country’s private space sector to build an ecosystem that can attract global talent, companies and investment, saying the country should create an “aura” that makes it a destination for people seeking to build careers in
4 minutes ago
The dream team of Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz made a winning start but could not progress to the final stages of US Open’s mixed doubles tournament. Williams, often considered the best women’s tennis player in history and Spain’s seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Alcaraz fell to
3 minutes ago
‘I retired at 29’: Woman leaves city hustle to start farmstay with dad in Maharashtra villageA woman who used to work in Bollywood left her city life to start this new venture with her retired father. Updated on: Aug 26, 2026, 07:11:21 IST By Trisha Sengupta Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy
3 hours ago
Raksha Bandhan 2026 will be celebrated on August 28, with the shubh muhurat in the morning and Bhadra ending before sunrise in most cities. The festival marks the bond between siblings, celebrated with Rakhi tying, prayers, and traditional rituals
3 hours ago
Bengaluru auto driver calms tearful commuter after her scary encounter with ‘creep’: ‘Asked if I had eaten’The woman told hindustantimes.com that she started crying the moment she boarded the auto, but the driver’s gentle reassurance helped her calm down. Updated on: Aug 26, 2026
3 hours ago
Dolly Parton, the country music superstar from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most beloved entertainers in the world. Over a career spanning more than 60 years, she sold more than 100 million records, wrote more than 3
3 hours ago
Are banks open today, August 26? Check state-wise holiday list on Eid-e-MiladSBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank and other banks will follow the regional holiday schedule. Updated on: Aug 26, 2026, 07:33:41 IST By HT News Desk Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Banks in several
3 hours ago
Enjoy it - and do what Serena Williams tells you to. That was how Carlos Alcaraz settled back into competitive action at the US Open, partnering the American great as she returned to her home slam after a four-year absence. The tournament's revamped mixed doubles format has attracted criticism for
3 hours ago
Beijing-Islamabad tango in West Asia mediationIt seems China is attempting to create, to borrow its own words, a “win-win” proposition for itself in the whole ordeal. Published on: Aug 26, 2026, 07:37:50 IST By Anushka Saxena Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link At the recent ASEAN
3 hours ago
BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese humanoid robot set a new 100-meter sprint record of 8.86 seconds in Beijing on Tuesday, beating its robot competitors — and the fastest recorded human time. The race was part of China’s World Humanoid Robot Games, an Olympic-style competition now in its second year in
3 hours ago
Ram Rahim gets another furlough; Akal Takht slams move His release sparked outrage, with leaders questioning the fairness of the government's treatment of Sikh prisoners compared to Ram Rahim. Updated on: Aug 26, 2026, 07:51:22 IST By Neeraj Mohan Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Dera Sacha
3 hours ago
The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by a minor Muslim student seeking permission to wear a hijab or headscarf in addition to the prescribed school uniform. The court held that wearing a headscarf is not an essential religious practice of Islam and that schools are entitled to
3 hours ago
Former Indian diplomat Ramesh Chander has been asked by the authorities conducting the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Punjab to submit documents proving his citizenship, The Tribune reported on Tuesday. The 75-year-old told the newspaper that he has been “summoned to appear with
3 hours ago
On the overcast afternoon of August 18, a football match of the Mumbai Football Association’s Second Division League was underway at the Neville D’Souza Football Ground in Mumbai’s Bandra West neighbourhood. Players attacked the ball aggressively
3 hours ago
Bank holidays September 2026: Check the full RBI holiday list, including festival, state-wise, Sunday and Saturday bank closures. Bank Holidays September 2026: If you are planning to visit a bank branch in September, it is worth checking the holiday calendar first
3 hours ago
98% flu cases this season down to H1N1: ICMRExperts urge public to remain calm, as infections are in line with seasonal trends and no unusual patterns observed. Updated on: Aug 26, 2026, 07:48:08 IST By Rhythma Kaul Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Swine flu accounts for 98% of influenza
3 hours ago
Sir Demis Hassabis: The scientist in the AI engine roomThe biggest AI conversations, decoded. 26 Aug 2026. Published on: Aug 26, 2026, 08:01:02 IST By Vishal Mathur Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link “I am first and foremost a scientist. My goal is to understand nature. But doing science is
3 hours ago
Dolly Parton, the country singer from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, will be remembered for her songs that told beautiful stories so honestly, such as Coat of Many Colors, Jolene and I Will Always Love You. In a seven-decade career, Parton won 10 Grammy awards
3 hours ago
EPFO members can check their monthly PF contributions online through the EPF passbook. Here is how to verify employee and employer contributions. If you are a salaried employee, you can check your EPF passbook to verify whether your provident fund contributions are being credited regularly
3 hours ago
Weekly Horoscope For August 24 – 30, 2026: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces – check out your weekly horoscope for the upcoming week. Weekly Horoscope For August 24 – 30, 2026: Want to know what the stars have in store for
3 hours ago
