Could plastic-eating microbes clean our waterways?
Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶What if we could harness the power of nature to break down plastics found in waterways?In today's newsletter, we're taking you inside a Northwestern University laboratory where one professor and her team are exploring this potentially groundbreaking development. Plus, we've got reporting on a rare pair of Air Jordans (and where you can see them in person), five things to do this weekend and more community news you need to know below. ????⏱️: A 7-minute read— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)TODAY’S TOP STORYAt this Northwestern professor’s lab, plastic-eating microbes show promise to gobble up microplastics in natureReporting by Brett ChaseHarnessing nature: Ludmilla Aristilde, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University, leads a team that’s trying to harness nature’s ability to break down plastics in rivers with microbes.Key question: The 18-person team’s latest finding has helped science inch closer to answering a question that’s perplexed them for years: Can the bacteria that cling to plastic bottles in rivers eat up all of that plastic and help get rid of that pollutant? The answer, according to Aristilde’s team’s recently published research, is yes.The research: They studied Comamonas testosteroni, a bacterium commonly found in wastewater. In the lab, it chomped on the kinds of plastics used in water and pop bottles, breaking them down and then gobbling up the extremely tiny remaining pieces of microplastics. The study suggests that someday, wastewater-treatment operations might be able to use these microbes to break down microplastics before water is released back into the environment.Bottom line: The treatment plants could be key to reducing the billions of tons of plastic waste that contaminate ecosystems across the world and result in fish and other aquatic life ingesting tiny particles of pollution, Aristilde says.READ MOREWHAT ELSE IS GOING ON? Chicago Police Officer Fernando Ruiz aims his gun at Raymond Comer during a shooting Aug. 12, 2022.Cook County court record Cop faces firing: Chicago Officer Fernando Ruiz, facing dismissal for fatally shooting an armed man during a foot pursuit, is also under fire for paralyzing another man in a shooting months earlier, the Sun-Times has learned. New cops leaving in droves: One of every six Chicago police officers hired since 2016 is no longer on the payroll. About 950 of the more than 5,750 people hired in that period have left. Their average time with the department? Not even three years. Many moved to suburban police departments. Lil Durk arrested: The Chicago rap star was arrested Thursday in Florida and has been charged with murder for hire, according to Broward County authorities. Durk allegedly hired hitmen from Chicago to travel to Los Angeles in 2022 to murder a rival rapper. Before his arrest Thursday, Durk had scheduled three international flights and was arrested near the airport. Sentencing in VA scam: Darren Smith, the owner of a Bolingbrook medical supply company, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for overcharging the Chicago Veterans Health Administration Prosthetics Service while paying kickbacks to a Veterans Affairs employee.Remembering Dr. Kathryn Anne Altonji: Dr. Altonji, a new mother and rising star at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, died Oct. 8 at age 34 of colon cancer. "She was such a determined person and did her best to fight this disease that we’re seeing more and more in people her age," her mother said. Acero families urge CPS takeover: Families and staff at seven Acero charter schools that are set to close are demanding their private management either keep the schools open or let Chicago Public Schools take over their operations. 2.5 stars for ‘Conclave’: Ralph Fiennes and an all-star cast do brilliant work, but the overstuffed plot peppers us with major and melodramatic plot swings, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.WEEKEND PLANS ???? A dog dressed as a UPS worker attends the Dog Halloween Party outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in 2022. The fun returns Saturday for the party’s 37th iteration.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file
Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
What if we could harness the power of nature to break down plastics found in waterways?
In today's newsletter, we're taking you inside a Northwestern University laboratory where one professor and her team are exploring this potentially groundbreaking development.
Plus, we've got reporting on a rare pair of Air Jordans (and where you can see them in person), five things to do this weekend and more community news you need to know below. ????
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
At this Northwestern professor’s lab, plastic-eating microbes show promise to gobble up microplastics in nature
Reporting by Brett Chase
Harnessing nature: Ludmilla Aristilde, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University, leads a team that’s trying to harness nature’s ability to break down plastics in rivers with microbes.
Key question: The 18-person team’s latest finding has helped science inch closer to answering a question that’s perplexed them for years: Can the bacteria that cling to plastic bottles in rivers eat up all of that plastic and help get rid of that pollutant? The answer, according to Aristilde’s team’s recently published research, is yes.
The research: They studied Comamonas testosteroni, a bacterium commonly found in wastewater. In the lab, it chomped on the kinds of plastics used in water and pop bottles, breaking them down and then gobbling up the extremely tiny remaining pieces of microplastics. The study suggests that someday, wastewater-treatment operations might be able to use these microbes to break down microplastics before water is released back into the environment.
Bottom line: The treatment plants could be key to reducing the billions of tons of plastic waste that contaminate ecosystems across the world and result in fish and other aquatic life ingesting tiny particles of pollution, Aristilde says.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Cop faces firing: Chicago Officer Fernando Ruiz, facing dismissal for fatally shooting an armed man during a foot pursuit, is also under fire for paralyzing another man in a shooting months earlier, the Sun-Times has learned.
- New cops leaving in droves: One of every six Chicago police officers hired since 2016 is no longer on the payroll. About 950 of the more than 5,750 people hired in that period have left. Their average time with the department? Not even three years. Many moved to suburban police departments.
- Lil Durk arrested: The Chicago rap star was arrested Thursday in Florida and has been charged with murder for hire, according to Broward County authorities. Durk allegedly hired hitmen from Chicago to travel to Los Angeles in 2022 to murder a rival rapper. Before his arrest Thursday, Durk had scheduled three international flights and was arrested near the airport.
- Sentencing in VA scam: Darren Smith, the owner of a Bolingbrook medical supply company, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for overcharging the Chicago Veterans Health Administration Prosthetics Service while paying kickbacks to a Veterans Affairs employee.
- Remembering Dr. Kathryn Anne Altonji: Dr. Altonji, a new mother and rising star at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, died Oct. 8 at age 34 of colon cancer. "She was such a determined person and did her best to fight this disease that we’re seeing more and more in people her age," her mother said.
- Acero families urge CPS takeover: Families and staff at seven Acero charter schools that are set to close are demanding their private management either keep the schools open or let Chicago Public Schools take over their operations.
- 2.5 stars for ‘Conclave’: Ralph Fiennes and an all-star cast do brilliant work, but the overstuffed plot peppers us with major and melodramatic plot swings, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.
WEEKEND PLANS ????
???? “Frankenstein”
Friday-Sunday, showtimes vary
????Studebaker Theater, Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave.
Manual Cinema’s adaptation of the classic Mary Shelley tale is filled with shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, sound effects and music.
Admission: $45+
???? Dog Halloween Party
Saturday, 9-11 a.m.
????Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Kern Terrace Garden, 220 E. Chicago Ave.
Join hundreds of pups and their people in elaborate costumes for the 37th annual costume party and parade. Registration is required.
Admission: $10 suggested donation
???? Roots and Boots Pumpkin Patch Day
Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
????It Takes a Village Leadership Academy, 4930 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
This family-friendly celebration of Black cowboy legacy will feature live music, horseback rides, a mechanical bull, a trackless train, a petting zoo, line dancing lessons, pumpkin decorating and more.
Admission: Free
???? Upside Down Halloween Parade
Saturday, 12-2 p.m.
????Russell Drive in Washington Park
Chicago's children and their families become the parade, where they'll join a procession featuring dance teams, acrobats, sports mascots and more.
Admission: Free
????️ Ravenswood Makers Market
Saturday, 1-6 p.m.
????KOVAL Tasting Room, 4241 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Costumes are encouraged but not required at this event, which includes trick-or-treating and a lineup of vendors selling art, home decor, clothing and more.
Admission: Free
BRIGHT ONE ✨
For costume exhibit, Chicago History Museum pulls a few favorites out of the closet
Reporting by Kyle MacMillan | For the Sun-Times
It makes sense that the Chicago History Museum’s wide-ranging collection of all things Chicago would include textiles and apparel, but many people probably have no idea just how extensive its holdings in this realm are.
Making that point is a key mission of "Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective," which opened Oct. 19 and runs through July 27, 2025. It offers a succinct, tantalizing glimpse of the museum’s 50,000 or so costumes, textiles and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present — one of the country’s largest and most respected such holdings.
"It’s a taste of everything," said Jessica Pushor, collection manager of costumes and textiles, "because I want people to want to learn more and know more and have fun with history and enjoy looking at history through fashion."
On view are more than 70 highlights, including some surprises, like a pair of red, white and black Air Jordans from 1985 — iconic, groundbreaking sneakers associated with one of Chicago’s most famous athletes: basketball great Michael Jordan. The museum purchased them in 1987 for $34.99, nabbing them on sale because they were 2 years old at that point.
"They’re the first Air Jordans that ever came out," Pushor said. "They’re now worth probably more than I make a year."
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ONE MORE THING????
Did you or your neighbors decorate for Halloween this year? Reply here with a photo of your favorite spooky setup. Be sure to tell us your neighborhood or home suburb in the Chicago area.
We just might use your photos for an upcoming story. ????
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Written by: Matt Moore
Editor: Esther Bergdahl
Copy editor: Angie Myers
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