plastics
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Plants Can Absorb Tiny Plastic Pieces Through Their Roots, Study Finds
Nothing seems safe from the grips of plastic these days. Not national parks, not oceans, and, according to new findings, not even plants. The study, published in Nature Nanotechnology on Monday, found that plants can absorb the tiniest bits of plastic through their roots. It shows the wide-ranging ways that plastic can impact the natural world.
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There’s Literally A Million Times More Microplastic In Our Oceans Than We Realised
If you pulled 1,000 litres (264 gallons) of water out of the ocean, how many small bits of plastic would you expect to find? Ten pieces? One hundred pieces? How about 8.3 million pieces of what researchers call “mini-microplastic.” Such is the finding of an alarming new study.
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Scientists Created Biodegradable Microbeads So Your Face Scrub Won’t Pollute Our Oceans
By now it’s well documented that those tiny plastic microbeads used in face scrubs and toothpastes are contaminating lakes and oceans at an alarming rate. Starting next month they will be officially banned in the US for personal care products, but oily faces rejoice, eco-friendly replacements are already in the works.
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IBM’s Supercomputers Discovered A New Kind Of Plastic
Scientists from IBM Research have discovered “a new class of polymer materials” — plastic composites, regularly used in smartphones and laptops and cars and planes — that could potentially transform almost every electronic device you use every day. The new plastics are entirely recyclable, can self-heal, and are incredibly strong and light.