08/20/2026
A teenage girl in Hawaii just found something scientists never noticed 🍄. Vera Wang, a senior at Kaiser High School, discovered that fungi living naturally on coconut husks can break down plastic and sunscreen. Working in scientist Anthony Amend's lab at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, she found that tannins inside the coconut fibers actually encourage these powerful fungi to grow. Her research even revealed species that do not match anything in the world's largest gene database, meaning she may have found life forms never recorded before.
This matters because plastic pollution and chemical runoff from sunscreen are damaging oceans every single day 🌊. A high schooler proving that nature already holds solutions is genuinely moving, and it reminds us how much power curiosity can have. Her work earned top honors at the 2026 Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair and a spot at the International Science and Engineering Fair. Sometimes the biggest discoveries start with someone simply asking why 🔬.
📌Sources: University of Hawaii System News
Hawaii News Now,EurekAlert
