Russian researchers may have solved a problem that has been perplexing scientists since space travel began - how to dispose of astronauts' dirty underwear.
Laundry facilities are sparse in outer space so the scientists are looking at a combination of microbes that will eat the cotton and paper shorts worn by space travellers.
"This will be a revolution in the science of biodegradation," Vyacheslav Llyin told New Scientist magazine.
"Cosmonauts identify waste as one of the most acute problems they encounter in space."
The head of the microbial ecology laboratory at the Russian State Research Center's Institute for Biological and Medical Problems in Moscow said the disposal unit would be able to process plastic, cellulose and other organic waste. The resulting methane could be used to power the spacecraft.
