New real-time method for environmental monitoring

New real-time method for environmental monitoring

Detecting microplastics and identifying plant stress at an early stage -- this and much more can now be done thanks to a new method based on near-infrared light measurements. It is inexpensive and works in real time.

Study reveals hidden dangers in everyday kitchenware — and experts are calling for urgent action

It is almost impossible to go grocery shopping without buying something stored in or wrapped in plastic. Whether it's a small film wrapping a cucumber or a reheatable frozen dinner container, plastic is part of food production.  Unfortunately, a new study is showing that there is a concern regarding potential cytotoxicity from microplastics, especially from food containers that go through a temperature change. What's happening? Caco-2 cells, whi…

Microplastics: are they poisoning crops and jeopardising food production?

Dusan Petkovic/ShutterstockMicroplastics are hindering photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert energy from the sun into the fruit and vegetables we eat. This threatens massive losses in crop and seafood production over the coming decades that could mean food shortages for hundreds of millions of people. So concludes an alarming new study. The authors combined more than 3,000 observations of the effects of microplastics on plants from…

Microplastic within humans now a health crisis: Interview with ‘Plastic People’ filmmakers

In a lab in Türkiye, researcher Sedat Gündoğdu zooms in on the image of a small red fiber. For the first time on film, viewers are witnessing microplastics in the human brain. The moment is emblematic of an emerging environmental and health crisis affecting nearly every corner of life on Earth, from the deepest depths of the ocean to the blood in our veins. Microplastics, it seems, are everywhere. The award-winning documentary Plastic People: Th…

Microplastics in Blood and Organs Linked to Rising Cancer Risks, Study Warns

Microplastics, pervasive in food, water, and air, may increase cancer risks by carrying toxic substances that disrupt cellular functions and trigger inflammation, DNA damage, and immune dysfunction. Infants face significantly higher exposure to microplastics, primarily through plastic feeding bottles, which release millions of particles per liter of liquid. Studies link microplastics to cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, prostate, colorectal, and …

Environmental conditions can cause damaging stress to plants, which presents challenges for home gardeners and farmers. Therefore, early detection is critical before leaves noticeably change color, wilt, or die. Now, researchers report in ACS Sensors that they have developed a wearable patch sensor for plants that can quickly sense plant stress and relay that information to growers. The electrochemical sensor attaches directly to living plant le…