Microplastic

The problem of microplastics pollution is getting worse, so it's important to monitor the amount of such plastic waste currently present in the world's oceans. According to a new study, a simple sea creature may better allow scientists to do so.

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University have devised a method of trapping tiny plastic particles using a sticky bacterial biofilm, which they hope could find use in wastewater plants to prevent them from entering the ocean.

A new study has delved into the kind of damage microplastics can cause to human lungs, with researchers observing changes to the shape of lung cells and a slowdown in their metabolism and growth when exposed to these tiny plastic particles.

Microplastics are increasingly found polluting waterways and causing unknown damage to the health of animals and humans. Now, a new study provides evidence there's cross over with another looming public health threat – antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

When we hear about microplastic particles polluting the ocean, the usual suspected sources are degraded plastic goods and synthetic textile fibers. A new study, however, suggests that much of the blame lies with hull coatings on ships.

One of the problems with microplastics pollution is the fact that the plastic particles are very small, and thus difficult to trap or neutralize when widely dispersed in water. That's why a new technique is being developed to eliminate them at their source, where they're highly concentrated.

A new study has highlighted a key link in the chain of how plastic pollution travels, demonstrating how microplastics can be swept across the surface of the seas by winds that carry them upward into the atmosphere, and into remote parts of the ocean.

In an effort to better understand how microplastics are absorbed by organisms in aquatic environments, scientists have carried out a study that shows how a coating of biomolecules can act as a "Trojan horse" that sneaks them into living cells.

Scientists are gaining a clearer picture of how far-reaching plastic pollution might be. The latest discovery in this area comes from high altitude, with researchers uncovering evidence of microplastics just below the summit of Mt Everest.

Scientists have developed a new method to detect trace amounts of plastic in edible tissues, and tried it out on a range of seafood such as oysters, prawns, squid, crabs and sardines to find plastic particles in all samples tested.

Scientists have begun to uncover evidence of how the digestive systems of certain animals can play a part in plastic fragmentation, with the latest concerning a small crustacean that can turn microplastics into “nanoplastics” in just four days.

For some time now, there have been concerns that microplastic particles eaten by fish could be passed along to human seafood consumers. According to a new study, though, such may not be the case with sea bass, and possibly not with many other fish.