Papers

Increasing microplastics pollution: An emerging vector for potentially pathogenic bacteria in the environment

Researchers collected microplastics from a river basin in Turkey and found that disease-causing bacteria, including Salmonella, E. coli, and Staphylococcus, readily form colonies on plastic particle surfaces. This means microplastics floating in water can act as tiny rafts carrying harmful bacteria, potentially increasing infection risks when contaminated water is used for drinking or recreation.

Implications of plastic-derived endocrine disruptors on human health

This review summarizes how chemicals released from plastics, known as endocrine disruptors, can interfere with the body's hormone systems. Common substances like BPA and phthalates mimic or block hormones, contributing to obesity, diabetes, reproductive problems, and developmental issues in children. Micro- and nanoplastics make the problem worse because they can release these hormone-disrupting chemicals inside the body after being ingested or inhaled.

Downward migrating microplastics in lake sediments are a tricky indicator for the onset of the Anthropocene

Researchers studying lake sediment cores in northeastern Europe found that microplastics had migrated downward through sediment layers over time, appearing in layers that predate the era of plastic production. This means microplastics cannot be used as a reliable geological marker for the start of the modern era (Anthropocene), because the particles move through sediment rather than staying in place. The finding also highlights that microplastics can travel deeper into soil and sediment than previously assumed, potentially reaching groundwater.

Radical changes are needed for transformations to a good Anthropocene

This paper argues that achieving a sustainable future requires radical changes to financial, legal, political, and governance systems, not just incremental improvements. The researchers present five key principles involving fundamental shifts in how societies think about growth, efficiency, government, shared resources, and justice. The study emphasizes that these transformations must happen together across neighborhoods, cities, and regions to stay within planetary boundaries.

Resilience to Global Health Challenges Through Nutritional Gut Microbiome Modulation

This review explores how gut microbiome composition during early life influences long-term health, and how nutritional strategies can help build resilience against chronic diseases. Researchers highlight that environmental factors including microplastics and other contaminants can disrupt the developing gut microbiome, potentially contributing to allergies, obesity, and neurological conditions. The study suggests that targeted nutritional interventions to support healthy gut bacteria could help counteract some of these environmental exposures.

Planetary Boundaries Nurturing the Grand Narrative of the Right to a Healthy Environment?

This paper argues that the planetary boundaries framework, which defines safe operating limits for Earth systems, can strengthen the legal case for the human right to a healthy environment recognized by the United Nations in 2022. Researchers discuss how breaching planetary boundaries, including those related to novel pollutants like microplastics, directly undermines fundamental rights to clean water, food, and health. The study calls on governments to use this science-based framework to guide stronger environmental and human rights protections.

Seasonal variation observed in microplastic deposition rates in boreal lake sediments

Researchers used sediment traps to monitor microplastic deposition rates in a boreal lake over one year across different seasons. The study found that microplastic flux was highest during the growing season and lowest during winter when ice and snow cover limited transport, with a snow disposal site receiving urban snow showing the highest annual deposition rate of 2,300 items per square meter.

Expanding sample volume for microscopical detection of nanoplastics

Scientists developed a new method that can detect nanoplastics in much larger water samples than was previously possible, scaling up from tiny droplets to full liters of seawater. The technique combines specialized membrane filters with enhanced Raman spectroscopy to identify individual nanoplastic particles. This advancement addresses a major technical barrier in understanding how widespread nanoplastic contamination really is in ocean environments.

Anthocyanins as protectors of gut microbiota: mitigating the adverse effects of microplastic-induced disruption

This review examines how anthocyanins, bioactive compounds found in berries and other pigmented plants, may protect gut microbiota from disruption caused by microplastic exposure. Researchers synthesized evidence suggesting that anthocyanins counteract microplastic-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in the gut. The findings indicate that dietary anthocyanins could serve as a protective factor against the adverse effects of microplastics on digestive health.

Microplastic-associated biofilms in a river catchment: Diversity, public health impact, and ecosystem risks

Researchers used environmental DNA analysis to study biofilm-forming microorganisms on microplastics in the Melen River catchment, a key water source for Istanbul. They found that polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common polymers year-round, and these surfaces harbored pathogenic bacteria including Acinetobacter and Flavobacterium. The study highlights that microplastics serve as vectors for harmful microorganisms, posing risks to both public health and aquatic ecosystems.

Assessment of potential health risk from microplastic contamination in packaged frozen seafood

Researchers analyzed six types of packaged frozen seafood and found microplastics in all samples, totaling 421 particles predominantly composed of PTFE, PVC, and PVA polymers. Risk assessment revealed that European pilchard and saithe posed the highest potential exposure, varying with regional consumption patterns. The findings highlight the need for better monitoring and safer packaging practices across the frozen seafood supply chain.

Evaluating the representation of disaster hazards in SNOMED CT: gaps and opportunities

Researchers evaluated gaps in the SNOMED CT clinical terminology system for representing disaster hazards and climate-sensitive health outcomes, identifying missing concepts needed to improve clinical reporting and public health disaster response workflows.

Microplastics influence size-selected zebrafish behaviour

Scientists exposed fish to microplastics (tiny plastic particles) and found that the contamination changed how the fish behaved - making them less bold and exploratory, but causing them to eat more often. This matters because microplastics are everywhere in our environment, including in seafood we eat, and this study shows these particles can alter animal behavior in ways that might affect entire food chains. The findings help us understand how plastic pollution could be disrupting aquatic ecosystems that humans depend on for food.

How to protect water sources from microplastic contamination?

This research review summarizes studies showing that tiny plastic particles called microplastics are getting into our water sources from clothing, cars, cosmetics, and household wastewater. These plastic bits can carry harmful chemicals and germs that build up in fish and other sea life, which then affects humans when we eat seafood or drink contaminated water. The authors say we need global action to reduce plastic pollution to protect both the environment and human health.

Application of a genetically engineered macrophage cell line for evaluating cellular effects of UV/US-treated poly(ethylene terephthalate) microplastics

Researchers developed a method to create PET microplastic fragments that mimic environmentally weathered particles by combining UV irradiation and ultrasound treatment. These treated fragments triggered significantly higher inflammatory responses in human macrophage cells compared to untreated particles. The study suggests that the physical and chemical changes microplastics undergo in the environment may increase their potential to cause inflammation in human cells.

Early-life environmental effects on birds: epigenetics and microbiome as mechanisms underlying long-lasting phenotypic changes

This review examines how early-life environmental conditions in birds produce long-lasting phenotypic changes through epigenetic modifications and microbiome shifts. The study highlights how understanding developmental plasticity mechanisms can help predict organismal responses to environmental changes, including exposure to emerging pollutants like microplastics.

The hidden cost of following currents: Microplastic ingestion in a planktivorous seabird

Researchers documented microplastic ingestion in Mediterranean storm petrels, finding that these planktivorous seabirds ingest microplastics while foraging in pelagic areas where plastic debris accumulates alongside their planktonic prey in ocean currents.

Crystalline nanoxylan from hot water extracted wood xylan at multi-length scale: Molecular assembly from nanocluster hydrocolloids to submicron spheroids

Researchers developed a method to transform xylan — a plant fiber from wood — into crystalline nanoparticles with exceptional stiffness and unique light-emitting properties. This bio-based nanomaterial could serve as a renewable, sustainable alternative to petroleum-derived nanomaterials in applications ranging from packaging to biomedical devices.

What to monitor? Microplastics in a freshwater lake – From seasonal surface water to bottom sediments

Researchers tracked microplastics in a Baltic urban lake through surface water trawling, sediment traps, and dated sediment cores, finding that concentrations peak in summer and have increased 25-fold in recent decades, while particles — mostly polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene — appeared even in sediment layers predating mass plastic production. The study recommends combining surface trawling and sediment trapping as a cost-effective monitoring approach for freshwater microplastic pollution.

Plastic-degrading clusters of orthologous groups reveal near-universal biodegradation potential in prokaryotes

Bioinformatic analysis of prokaryotic genomes identified a set of Plastic-Degrading Clusters of Orthologous Groups, revealing that plastic-degrading protein families are distributed across diverse bacterial and archaeal lineages, suggesting near-universal biodegradation potential in microbial communities.

Effects of microplastics and natural particles on the aquatic invertebrate Daphnia magna under different dietary quality scenarios

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna to both natural particles—including sediment, algae, and biofilm—and polystyrene microplastics to compare their effects, finding that natural particles caused similar or greater harm than microplastics at equivalent concentrations, highlighting the need for environmental context in MP toxicity studies.

Photodegradation of polystyrene microplastics exposed to natural sunlight

Upscaling sample size for microscopical detection of nanoplastics

Researchers developed a method to upscale nanoplastic sample sizes from the typical 10 ul to 1 liter of seawater using combined Raman and scanning electron microscopy techniques adapted from microplastic purification protocols. The approach extends the practical detection range of state-of-the-art nanoplastic microscopy to environmentally relevant sample volumes.

Plastic and terrestrial organic matter degradation by the humic lake microbiome continues throughout the seasons

A year-round study of boreal lake microbiomes found that microbial communities decomposed polyethylene, polystyrene, and plant litter across all four seasons, suggesting plastic degradation in freshwater is not limited to warmer months.