Microplastics – News and Features

The way in which nanoplastics and a specific brain protein, α-synuclein, interact could create changes in the body that give rise to Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other related dementias, a new study suggests.

All aquatic species in the river mouths flowing into the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean are contaminated with microplastics, with molluscs being the most affected due to their ability to filter water.

Researchers have analyzed microplastics in clouds above mountains. They suggest that these tiny particles could play a role in cloud formation and, in turn, affect weather.

Rotifers, a kind of microscopic zooplankton common in both fresh and ocean water around the world, are able to chew apart microplastics, breaking them down into nanoplastics.

Researchers have engineered a strain of E. coli that can digest polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics and transform them into adipic acid – a useful feedstock for nylon materials, drugs and fragrances.

Researchers have developed a model to simulate the atmospheric transport of microplastic fibers and found that their shape plays a crucial role in how far they travel.

Prussian blue, a pigment used to dye jeans, could be the basis of a new, environmentally friendly way to effectively remove microplastics from water.

Biodegradable plastics may not be the solution to plastic pollution many hoped for, with a University of Otago study showing they are still harmful to fish.

Scientists measured microplastic concentrations in the highly productive Barents Sea and suggest that ocean circulation, ice melt, tourism, inadequate waste management, shipping and fishing are all likely contributors.

Using micro-engineered soil models, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have investigated the effect of tiny polystyrene particles on bacteria and fungi.