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Papers
50 resultsShowing papers from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
ClearThe recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt
Researchers analyzed 1,816 freshwater invertebrate community datasets from 22 European countries spanning 1968 to 2020, finding that biodiversity recovered steadily through the 1990s and 2000s thanks to water quality improvements, but has largely plateaued since the 2010s. Emerging threats including climate warming, emerging pollutants like microplastics, and invasive species are now offsetting earlier conservation gains, signaling that stronger protections are urgently needed.
People need freshwater biodiversity
This paper catalogs nine essential services that freshwater biodiversity provides to people, from food and clean water to climate regulation and cultural value. While not directly about microplastics, freshwater ecosystems are increasingly threatened by microplastic pollution, which can harm the aquatic organisms that provide these critical benefits to human communities.
Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries
Scientists updated the planetary boundaries framework and found that six of nine critical Earth system limits have been crossed, including chemical pollution and climate change. This matters for human health because these boundary violations -- driven partly by plastic and chemical pollution -- signal that the planet's ability to support safe living conditions is being seriously compromised.
Tire-additive chemicals and their derivatives in urban road dust: Spatial distributions, exposures, and associations with tire and road wear particles
Researchers measured tire-related chemicals and tire wear particles in road dust from Hong Kong and Berlin, finding that highway dust contained up to five times more contamination than other road types. Several of these tire-derived chemicals are linked to health risks including hormone disruption and cardiovascular problems, and the study found that people living near busy roads face higher exposure through accidental dust ingestion.
A triple increase in global river basins with water scarcity due to future pollution
Researchers modeled global water availability through 2050 and found that nitrogen pollution from agriculture and cities could triple the number of river basins facing water scarcity, potentially affecting 3 billion more people beyond those already impacted by simple water shortages. The findings underscore that clean water policy must address pollution, not just supply.
Detection of Microplastic in Human Placenta and Meconium in a Clinical Setting
Researchers detected microplastic particles larger than 50 micrometers in human placenta and meconium (a baby's first stool) collected during cesarean deliveries. This is significant because it provides direct evidence that microplastics are present in the womb and are being passed to babies before and during birth. The study emphasizes the need for careful contamination controls in clinical studies and calls for further research on nano-sized plastics in human tissue.
The impact of microplastic on nematodes: Soil type, plastic amount and aging as determinants for the fitness of Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers tested how two types of microplastics, conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PLA/PBAT, affected tiny soil worms called nematodes across different soil types. Conventional plastic at high concentrations reduced worm reproduction and growth, while the biodegradable plastic caused no harm. Importantly, as microplastics aged in the soil over time, their negative effects worsened, suggesting the long-term impact of plastic pollution in agricultural soil may be greater than short-term studies indicate.
Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems
This paper highlights microplastics as an overlooked threat to terrestrial ecosystems, noting that most plastic pollution originates on land before reaching the oceans. Researchers discuss evidence that microplastics interact with soil organisms, fungi, and pollinators that provide essential ecosystem services. The study calls for urgent research into how microplastics affect land-based environments, which may be experiencing significant but understudied ecological impacts.
Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance
Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.
Future-proofing the emergency recovery plan for freshwater biodiversity
This paper outlines a global emergency recovery plan for freshwater biodiversity, which is declining faster than in any other ecosystem type. The plan identifies six priority actions including improving water quality, restoring habitats, and controlling invasive species. Reducing pollution, including microplastics and other contaminants entering freshwater systems, is a key component of the proposed recovery strategy.
From properties to toxicity: Comparing microplastics to other airborne microparticles
This study compared airborne microplastics to other well-studied airborne particles like asbestos, silica, soot, and cotton dust to better understand potential health risks from inhaling plastic particles. Researchers examined how properties such as size, shape, surface charge, and durability drive toxicity across these different particle types. The comparison provides a framework for understanding microplastic inhalation risks, which remain poorly studied despite growing evidence of atmospheric plastic pollution.
Monitoring Water Diversity and Water Quality with Remote Sensing and Traits
This study defines five characteristics of water diversity and quality that can be monitored using remote sensing technology, from local waterbodies to continental scales. Researchers demonstrate how satellite and aerial sensing methods can track changes in water traits, structure, and biological communities more efficiently than traditional in-person sampling. The approach is particularly relevant for detecting pollution impacts, including emerging contaminants, across large and dynamic aquatic ecosystems.
Molecular Effects of Biogenic Zinc Nanoparticles on the Growth and Development of Brassica napus L. Revealed by Proteomics and Transcriptomics
This study investigated how biogenic zinc nanoparticles affect the growth and development of rapeseed plants using proteomics and transcriptomics approaches. While not directly focused on microplastics, the research contributes to understanding how nano-scale particles interact with plant biology at the molecular level.
Short-term exposure with high concentrations of pristine microplastic particles leads to immobilisation of Daphnia magna
Researchers tested the effects of high concentrations of pristine microplastic particles on the water flea Daphnia magna. The study found that short-term exposure to high microplastic concentrations led to immobilisation, and that different polymer types, sizes, and shapes produced varying levels of toxicity, highlighting the importance of particle characteristics in microplastic risk assessment.
Arctic weather variability and connectivity
Researchers developed a new approach to measure weather variability in the Arctic and found a strong link between daily Arctic weather fluctuations and the Arctic Oscillation, a major climate pattern. Their analysis revealed that declining sea ice is driving increased weather instability in the region, which can influence weather patterns in distant areas through atmospheric connections. The study suggests that Arctic changes may affect weather predictability in populated regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Microplastics Effects on Reproduction and Body Length of the Soil-Dwelling Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers compared the effects of conventional low-density polyethylene microplastics and biodegradable polymer microplastics on reproduction and body length in the soil nematode C. elegans. The study found that microplastic exposure affected these organisms, highlighting that even biodegradable plastics may pose risks to soil-dwelling invertebrates and that terrestrial microplastic toxicity deserves greater research attention.
Natural abundance δ13C constraints on the detection of microplastic-derived carbon in freshwater environments
Researchers evaluated whether stable carbon isotope measurements could be used to trace microplastic-derived carbon in freshwater food webs. They found that while one algae species showed significant isotopic shifts when exposed to microplastics, these changes reflected physiological stress rather than actual incorporation of plastic carbon. The study concludes that natural carbon isotope methods have limited practical utility for detecting microplastic signals in freshwater ecosystems under realistic conditions.
Macrophages bend long fibres with flexural rigidity lower than 3 mN·nm2 to avoid frustrated phagocytosis
Researchers observed and modeled macrophages internalizing long fibers by bending them into arcs and spirals, determining that fibers with flexural rigidity below approximately 3 mN·nm² can be fully phagocytized, establishing rigidity as a critical parameter for predicting fiber-cell interactions and material safety.
The world’s growing municipal solid waste: trends and impacts
Using Bayesian regression modeling on historical data, researchers produced the first estimates of past and future global municipal solid waste generation (1965–2100) disaggregated by waste component, finding plastic waste is projected to continue growing substantially in the coming decades.
Groundwater–Surface Water Interactions: Recent Advances and Interdisciplinary Challenges
This review covers recent advances in understanding groundwater–surface water interactions, including their importance for drinking water security and contaminant transport, and argues for interdisciplinary approaches that combine hydrology, ecology, and geochemistry.
Aberrant microbiomes are associated with increased antibiotic resistance gene load in hybrid mice
Researchers studied gut microbiome composition and antibiotic resistance gene content in hybrid mice compared to their parent species using amplicon sequencing. They found that hybridization between genetically divergent mouse populations was associated with aberrant microbial communities that carried a higher load of antibiotic resistance genes. The study suggests that host genetics may play a previously underappreciated role in shaping both gut microbiome composition and the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, catalytic application and assessment of toxicity
Researchers developed iron-based magnetic nanoparticles as catalysts that can rapidly break down bisphenol A (BPA) — a common plastic additive and endocrine disruptor — in water using a combination of low-dose hydrogen peroxide and UV light, achieving complete degradation in under 15 minutes. The treated water also showed reduced toxicity to human cancer cells, suggesting this approach could help remove persistent chemical pollutants from water supplies.
Impacts of Microplastics on the Soil Biophysical Environment
Four common microplastic types (polyacrylic fibers, polyamide beads, polyester fibers, PE fragments) were added to loamy sand soil at environmentally relevant concentrations in a garden experiment and effects on soil-water relationships, structure, and microbial function were measured over 5 weeks. Results showed that microplastics altered water repellency, aggregate stability, and microbial activity in a plastic-type-dependent manner, confirming that microplastics can disrupt fundamental soil biophysical processes.
Microplastics Reduce Short-Term Effects of Environmental Contaminants. Part I: Effects of Bisphenol A on Freshwater Zooplankton Are Lower in Presence of Polyamide Particles
This study (Part I of a series) investigated whether microplastics reduce the short-term toxic effects of environmental contaminants on aquatic organisms, finding evidence that microplastics can act as a buffer by binding contaminants and reducing their immediate toxicity.