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Enter plastic.
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Two studies provided direct evidence that sub-micrometre plastic particles accumulate in terrestrial plants, demonstrating that plastic contamination extends into the food chain through crop uptake. This finding raises important questions about human dietary exposure to micro- and nanoplastics via commonly consumed plant foods.
Two studies on sub-micrometre plastic particles provide evidence of plastic accumulation in terrestrial plants.
More Papers Like This
Adapting to plastic.
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This study found that plastic pollution alters the composition and functional capabilities of sedimentary microbial communities, with significant downstream effects on the microbial nitrogen cycle. Disruption of nitrogen cycling in sediments has broad ecological consequences, as these processes underpin nutrient availability across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Doing better with plastics
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Plastic is woven into nearly every part of modern life, but that convenience comes at a cost: over 11 million tons of it end up in our oceans and waterways each year, breaking down into tiny micro- and nanoplastic particles that are nearly impossible to clean up and can end up in our food and water. This review looks at why plastic pollution is expected to get four times worse by 2050 and explores how we might keep the benefits of plastic while cutting down on the harm it causes to our health and environment.
Plastic and plants
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Researchers identified a mechanism by which nanoplastics can physically enter plant roots, raising concerns that plastic particles from polluted soil could travel up through crops and onto our plates — a potential new route of human exposure to plastic contamination.
A quadrillion little pieces of plastic
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Researchers developed a metal-tracer technique that allows nanoplastics to be tracked through freshwater ecosystems, enabling simultaneous study of their fate and interactions with environmental stressors such as warming and nutrient pollution. This methodological advance is key to understanding how nanoplastics move through and accumulate in aquatic food chains under real-world, multi-stressor conditions.
Microplastic
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This book takes a close look at how tiny plastic pieces, called microplastics, end up in our water and how scientists find and study them. Since these plastics can end up in the water we drink and the fish we eat, understanding where they come from and how to detect them is an important first step in figuring out whether they pose real risks to our health.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.