Scientists may have discovered an unlikely ally in the fight against plastic waste: the lesser mealworm. Native to Africa but now widespread across the planet, a beetle larvae from the Alphitobius genus can consume and degrade plastic, the researchers found. The finding could be particularly useful in combating plastic pollution in Africa, the researchers noted. … Read more
Clouds form when water vapor — an invisible gas in the atmosphere — sticks to tiny floating particles, such as dust, and turns into liquid water droplets or ice crystals. In a newly published study, we show that microplastic particles can have the same effects, producing ice crystals at temperatures 5 to 10 degrees Celsius … Read more
A private Japanese company has taken the world’s first close-up photo of an individual piece of space debris, by parking another satellite next to it in orbit. This orbital photo op is the first step in an ongoing mission to capture and destroy potentially hazardous pieces of space junk that are clogging up our sky. … Read more
Microplastics may hang around in the body longer than scientists previously thought and may contribute to the spread of cancer when inside tumors, a lab-dish study suggests. The research has several limitations, however. For instance, the scientists used cancer cells grown in lab dishes, so it remains to be seen how the results apply to … Read more
In the forest, certain fungi attach to trees and fallen logs to break down and digest the carbon within their wood before releasing it as carbon dioxide. But when their preferred meal isn’t available, these wood-decaying fungi can chow down on plastic instead, according to a new study published July 26 in the journal PLOS … Read more
