Collaborate Disseminate
In the last decade we’ve seen studies unearth plastic pollution in some unexpected places, from the Arctic, to the Antarctic, and the world’s tallest mountain in between. More recently, we’ve seen some scientists focus the search on the human body, whi… Continue reading Plastic particles found deep in live human lungs for the first time
Two of our biggest environmental problems are the tons of unusable plastic waste, and the tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) which are released into the atmosphere in smokestack emissions. A new process is claimed to use the former to trap the latter.Continu… Continue reading New technique uses plastic waste to capture CO2 emissions
Over the past five years or so we’ve seen some important breakthroughs demonstrating how enzymes can be used to break down common plastics, such as the PET used for everything from drink bottles to shampoo containers. In pursuit of a circular economy f… Continue reading Newly discovered enzyme helps reduce plastic waste to a simple molecule
Scientists continue to uncover the impacts of rampant plastic pollution on the environment and living organisms, which include toxic effects on human cells and infiltrating the blood brain barrier in mice. A new study has shone a light on one of the mo… Continue reading Tire particles trigger swimming abnormalities, death in fish and shrimp
The omnipresent nature of plastic waste threatens the environment in all sorts of ways, particularly as it is broken down into tiny fragments known as microplastics. This includes contaminating soil through sources such as wastewater irrigation and sew… Continue reading Can birch trees be used to soak up microplastics from polluted soil?
Obesity rates around the world are on the rise, almost tripling since 1975. While the contribution of things like sugar is well-established, the trend is a complex one involving all manner of lifestyle factors. Scientists at the Norwegian University of… Continue reading Chemicals in plastics may be a driver of weight gain, study finds
As important as face masks are in our current pandemic-riddled world, they have a major impact on the environment. Now scientists have demonstrated a novel method for disposing of old masks – by using them to make low-cost, flexible and efficient batte… Continue reading Used masks upcycled into batteries with energy density of lithium-ion
Chemical pollutants, including plastics, can impact the Earth in all kinds of ways. Manufacturing of these “novel entities” has grown so rapidly that governments are now unable to assess, let alone control the risks to Earth’s ecosystems, new research … Continue reading Study finds chemical pollution is now beyond safe boundary for the planet
Three years ago, creator Burls Art released a video documenting the building of his first guitar, which featured a body made from 1,200 colored pencils. The video went viral and more impressive builds followed. Now the artist has partnered with 4ocean … Continue reading Artist makes stunning one-off guitar from recycled marine plastic
Five years ago, scientists digging through soil and sludge around a plastics recycling center in Japan discovered a bacterium that was feeding on the popular packaging material PET as an energy source, with help from a pair of purposely evolved enzymes… Continue reading Microbes across the land and ocean are evolving to degrade plastic