[sci.bio] Sic transit ingloria Trabi

jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov (JOSEPH T CHEW) (05/03/91)

I read a few days ago that an attempt is being made to genetically
engineer a bacterium that eats the body panels of the Trabant, which
are some kind of plastic/pressboard laminate kinda stuff that is 
apparently neither biodegradable nor recyclable. (The Trabant, of 
course, is the dreadful East German econo-car that is literally getting 
hard to give away now that superior Western products are available.)

Anybody know the details?

--Joe
"Just another personal opinion from the People's Republic of Berkeley"

XRHAH@SCFVM.GSFC.NASA.GOV (Herbert A. Huston) (05/03/91)

In article <12747@dog.ee.lbl.gov>
jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov (JOSEPH T CHEW) writes:

}I read a few days ago that an attempt is being made to genetically
}engineer a bacterium that eats the body panels of the Trabant, which
}are some kind of plastic/pressboard laminate kinda stuff that is
}apparently neither biodegradable nor recyclable. (The Trabant, of
}course, is the dreadful East German econo-car that is literally getting
}hard to give away now that superior Western products are available.)
}
}Anybody know the details?
}
}--Joe
}"Just another personal opinion from the People's Republic of Berkeley"

Production of new Trabants has now ceased according to recent news reports.
It would seem that extinction of the species is imminent and that it will
not be appearing in the fossil record, either.  B-)>

-- Herb Huston