Microplastics – News and Features

Today, light microscopy is a core technique in many areas of science and technology. In this article, we explore the basic working principle of light microscopy and discuss some more advanced forms of light microscopy that are commonly used today, comparing their strengths and weaknesses for different applications.

This article highlights the adverse impact of microplastics (MPs) on our environment, detection methods for MPs and the challenges in the detection of MPs.

Plastic pollution is not just a problem for larger marine animals. Dinoflagellates - single-celled marine predators - can also ingest microplastic, which limits their growth and consequently their overall abundance. This has implications for the larger animals that feed on them, in terms of available food and the transfer of energy up the food chain.

Researchers reviewed recent scientific literature about the effects of particle contaminants on the mucosal system, an internal membrane that serves as the body’s lubricant and the first line of defense from infections and toxins. These data establish a clear link between exposure to airborne or waterborne particulate matter and several health conditions.

The fact that microplastics can accumulate organic pollutants from the environment and transport them has been known for some time. What is new, however, is that metals can also be transported in this manner. In addition, the smaller the particles, the greater the metal accumulation on the plastic.

Food companies, regulators, marketers, journalists and others should use the terms “cell-based” or “cell-cultured” when labeling and talking about seafood products made from the cells of fish or shellfish, according to a new Rutgers study.

Research demonstrates the mechanism by which microplastics, when in contact with cell membranes, stretch and greatly reduce their mechanical stability.

Small juvenile sea turtles from the Pacific and Indian Oceans have a very high occurrence of ingested plastic, a new study shows. The life cycle of marine turtles might "trap" juvenile turtles in habitats with high amounts of plastic debris.

Researchers from the University of Portsmouth tested a theory that microplastics covered in a layer of microbes, were more likely to be ingested by oysters than microplastics that were clean.

An adhesive tape patented by scientists from Staffordshire University originally designed to recover trace evidence from crime scenes is now being repurposed to analyze microplastics.