Tiny, microscopic bits of plastic have been found almost everywhere researchers look – including throughout the human body.
  • partial_accumenEnglish
    37·
    1 month ago

    The difference in plastic quantities surprised him, but his team found another concerning trend, too. Cells in the plaque with lots of plastic showed different gene activity than those with low plastic. In the high-plastic environment, one group of immune cells had switched off a gene that’s associated with turning off inflammation. Clark’s team also found genetic differences in a group of stem cells thought to help prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing inflammation and stabilizing plaque. “Could it be that microplastics are somehow altering their gene expression?” Clark said.

    Well thats certainly concerning!

    • WhatAmLemmyEnglish
      22·
      1 month ago

      Don’t worry. I’m sure we can keep throwing billions of spanners into billions of engines continuously without consequence.

        • CitizenKongEnglish
          9·
          1 month ago

          Everyone of us has the equivalent of a plastic spoon in the brain. Humanity is finished. Not a big loss, all things considered.

          • the_mighty_krackenEnglish
            1·
            5 days ago

            According to the Science Vs podcast it’s nowhere near that amount of plastic. It’s an exaggeration that got press because it’s such a disturbing visual.

          • electricyarnEnglish
            12·
            1 month ago

            Presumably there is that amount of plastic in all the creatures on earth as well. Remember that pkastics are petrol products. We can save the earth by simply removing the fossil fuel industry entirely.

          • just_another_personOPEnglish
            4·
            1 month ago

            Well that’s not a magnet though, meaning you can’t attract it away from being mixed in with other particulate matter. You can with Iron, for example.

            • partial_accumenEnglish
              8·
              1 month ago

              I think we may have FOUND the microplastics magnet. Plaques in our bloodstreams from the article. They were finding MUCH higher concentrations of microplastics in the plaques. My laymen guess is that the plaques themselves are more “sticky?” to microplastics and collect them. The only downside right now is that means we stroke out when the “magnet” gets full.