Scientists have genetically engineered the common bacterium E. coli to convert waste plastic into the everyday painkiller, paracetamol. This groundbreaking development showcases the versatility of E. coli in biotechnology, a microbe also used to produce vanilla flavor and perfume from different waste materials.

• A common bacterium, E. coli, was genetically engineered to digest plastic-derived molecules and produce paracetamol.
• Prof. Stephen Wallace, professor of chemical biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, led the research.
• E. coli was first isolated in 1885 and has played a central role in genetics and molecular biology, including the production of synthetic human insulin in 1978.