When a machine fails, our first reaction is often frustration. A computer freezing at the worst possible moment, a navigation app leading us straight into a traffic jam, or a washing machine suddenly stopping mid-cycle – all are everyday situations that trigger anger and irritation. But a new study by two Israeli researchers offers a different perspective: it turns out that we also apply mechanisms of forgiveness toward technology, much like we do with people.

It might sound like science fiction, but it’s already a reality. Bacteria are now capable of breaking down environmentally harmful substances like polystyrene and turning them into the building blocks for nylon—without relying on fresh crude oil. This breakthrough has been achieved by Christoph Wittmann, Professor of Biotechnology at Saarland University, together with colleagues from neighbouring disciplines. Their findings have been published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.

New fossil research shows how human impacts, particularly through the rise of agriculture and livestock, have disrupted natural mammal communities as profoundly as the Ice Age and Pleistocene extinctions.