Pelagic fish are both coastal and oceanic fish, below and above the continental shelf. Ranging from forage fish — think anchovies and sardines — all the way to predatory fish like swordfish, tuna, mackerel, and sharks, pelagic fish are in trouble from microplastics (MPs). The pelagic uptake of MPs is … [continued]
Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes and the most polluted. Now digital technology will help restore it to health.
There’s growing attention on microplastics as a human health concern. Autopsy studies are showing an increasing body burden of plastics accumulating in us, with a study published earlier this year by showing that the average person now has a credit card and a half’s worth of plastic…in their brains. The … [continued]
While researchers tackle the thorny problem of microplastic pollution accumulating in the human brain, Chris Hemsworth teams up with neuroscientists to demonstrate that the human brain is still alive and kicking in in “Brain Power,” one of three episodes in the new National Geographic series Limitless: Live Better Now.
Everyday beach walkers in my condo community scour the incoming tide and wrack line for litter. The amount of debris they pick up can depend on the direction of the current or a recent storm at sea. Tourist season, which runs from January through April in Florida, definitely increases human-made … [continued]
Why is the full lifecycle of plastics — including production — so important? Plastic degrades into microplastics, pieces less than 5 millimeters long. Nanoplastics, which measure less than 1 micrometer, are the smallest of these and the most likely to get into our blood and tissues. World Environment Day, which … [continued]
Researchers in Japan have created paper-based alternatives to single use plastic that will break down fully in the ocean.
"Interactions between marine microorganisms and microplastics" by Aneta K. Urbanek, Waldemar Rymowicz & Aleksandra M. Mirończuk is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supramolecular chemistry, also known as “chemistry beyond the molecule,” focuses on the study of molecular recognition and high-order assemblies formed by noncovalent interactions. It’s in the news lately due to a study that focuses on solving the problem of plastic degradation into microplastics. Supramolecular plastics — polymers with structures held … [continued]
What’s this? Microplastics entering human brains? Yup. The results of a new study published in Nature Medicine point out that tiny fragments of plastic are passing the blood-brain barrier and entering into human brains. Moreover, the amount of microplastics in the brain appears to be increasing over time. “There are … [continued]
The newest Taylor Sheridan series is The Landman. Billy Bob Thornton plays a field executive for a mid-sized oil company in West Texas. Protagonist Tommy describes the oil industry as a complicated, problematic, filthy, dangerous, and necessary business that feeds most of our lifestyles. He lectures about how much we … [continued]
