From Plastic to Protein: NASA-backed Yeast Cookies Target Space and Disaster Relief

SIU Carbondale researchers, with NASA funding, engineered yeast to convert PET plastic and agricultural waste into edible ingredients like proteins, vitamins, and flavors, producing protein-rich cookies called µBites via a 3D printer. The process uses oxidative hydrothermal dissolution to break down waste into feedstock, with potential applications in space missions and disaster zones, though formal taste tests are pending and broader production is years away.