There are massive “islands” of plastic swirling around our oceans at the moment, the biggest of which is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Yet, researchers have now revealed that there are millions more tons of plastic in the ocean that cannot be seen with the naked eye. These nanoplastics are smaller than a micrometer and...
You may be familiar with the term “all rivers lead to the ocean”. We often forget that what we do on land directly affects our oceans and what we, as a society, are doing is not very pleasant for our ocean neighbors. About 71% of the Earth’s surface is water, with the oceans making up...
Plastic is a huge concern for the environment. When consumer products and industrial waste break down, the environment becomes inundated with small pieces of plastic known as microplastics. For this reason, scientists are currently dedicating so much of their time to finding a solution to this ever-increasing issue. Thankfully, they have recently created a sponge-like...
The world’s largest travel leisure company, Carnival Corporation has agreed to pay yet another penalty of $20 million for environmental crimes committed by its subsidiary, Princess Cruise Lines. Princess has previously incurred a fine of $40 million for deliberate acts of pollution. In June this year, she admitted to violating the terms of an improper...
What is the safest way to drink if you want to avoid microplastics? Surely, you should avoid plastic bottles and rather use glass bottles, right? Well, a study in France recently measured the levels of microplastics in various types of beverages sold in the country. Believe it or not, they found that all of the...
Plastic has spread into every facet of our existence. Plastic has been detected at the deepest point of the ocean, the Mariana Trench. It is also present at the highest peak on land, Mount Everest. Microplastics are found in Antarctic snow, clouds, turtles, whales, tap water, beer, and even in human blood. In 2022, the...
What happens to the plastic we use every single day? Think of all the grocery bags and product packaging we use every week. We like to assume that someone is taking care of it, that our plastic is being responsibly recycled somewhere down the line. However, the shocking truth is that only 9% of all...
They’re in your bloodstream, lungs, and brain. Yes, your brain. Microplastics have infiltrated our bodies in ways we’re just beginning to understand. Scientists have found these tiny fragments everywhere, from reproductive organs to heart tissue. Want to know what’s even more concerning? Most of us consume a credit card’s worth of plastic weekly without realizing...
Microplastics, tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size, have become a significant environmental and health concern in recent years. These particles are almost everywhere, found in almost every facet of our world: in oceans, soil, air, and even in the food and water we consume. The impact of microplastics on human health is...
Microplastics are found everywhere, from the food we consume to the air we breathe. However, its effect on human health is not entirely apparent yet. Although animal studies have suggested that there are potential harms, we are yet to learn how this affects us. Biochemist Matthew Campen and other researchers recently investigated how various inhaled...
Over the past several years plastic has touted to have terrible effects on the environment, and for good reason. Most plastics, unlike other materials, cannot biodegrade, and this is toxic for wildlife — especially for the oceans, where so much plastic ends up. Scientists estimate about eight million metric tons of plastic land in the...
Coelacanths are some of the strangest fish that swim the world’s oceans. These wonderfully ugly fish have remained almost unchanged for over 400 million years – that’s over 160 million years before the first dinosaurs appeared. However, even these so-called “living fossils” aren’t safe from the problems facing the world’s oceans. Blue Planet Society, a UK-based environmental pressure...
