All microplastics articles
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ResearchBacterium may help answer mystery of ‘missing’ plastic in the seas
Plastic-eating bacteria and sunlight may partly explain why there’s less plastic waste in the oceans than predicted
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Research
Carbon dots help sniff out nanoplastics in the air
Electronic sensor developed that can detect airborne nanoplastics, including their types, amounts, and sizes
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Research
Spider webs record severity of microplastic pollution in cities
Plastic content found to make up as much as a tenth of a web’s total weight
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Opinion
Bringing citizen science into school – and to the beach
A coastal project to contextualise concerns about pollutants and microplastics
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Research
Discovery of microplastics in people raises difficult questions about health implications
Scientists keep finding tiny polymer particles in lungs, blood and placentas – but what does that mean means for people’s health?
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Research
Sunlight transforms plastic into tens of thousands of new compounds
Marine plastics don’t persist forever, sun exposure can break them down into extremely complex chemical compounds in just weeks
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Opinion
Five citizen science projects receive funding from UKRI
The projects cover a range of topics including mental health and microplastics
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News
Scientists back creation of an international body to oversee chemicals and waste
New organisation could tackle problem of ‘limited and fragmented’ coverage of environmental impact of these issues
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Research
Shipping ‘skid mark’ detected in the North Sea
Antifouling coatings are an underestimated source of plastic pollution
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News
Millions of microplastic particles released by some baby feeding bottles
Hot water is key variable responsible for release of large numbers of plastic particles
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Research
Electrochemistry steers microplastics management in the right direction
Microchannel with strategically placed wires sorts plastic particles according to type
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Opinion
Addressing the plastics problem
Sustainability must be fully incorporated into material design
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Research
Spectroscopy from space lets satellites spy out ocean plastic patches
The technique could show where and how floating plastic patches form, and raise awareness of plastic pollution in the oceans
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Opinion
Plastics and pandemics
The Covid-19 pandemic is our top priority but the plastic problem isn’t going away
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Business
Taking responsibility for waste
How well are companies that produce and use plastics living up to their duty?
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News
Dearth of vital microplastics research on North American fisheries
Most microplastic studies on commercially-important fishery species come from Europe, Asia and South America
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Research
Nanotube catalysts spring into action on microplastic waste
Helical carbon nanotubes activate an oxidant that produces polymer-degrading free radicals
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Podcast
Polypropylene
Microplastics, including polypropylene, are present in our oceans, on our beaches and even in bottled water. Ian Robertson investigates the scale and some solutions
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Sponsored
Microplastics – A chance discovery leads to a research passion
Tiny plastics are polluting our waterways, foods and drinks. To understand and combat this contaminant, we need to leverage technologies capable of detecting their presence and understanding their makeup
