Science & Environment
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And as little as 50 generations, do you think some of your descendants are gonna be popping out of the womb without wisdom teeth, or little toes, potentially without an appendix, smaller jaws, & that’s not even getting into the whole human induced evolution via CRISPR editing the people are gonna be doing at home in a generation or two…& some are trying it now.
What we learned about microplastics in 2025
Although the science of microplastics is new, studies link the tiny particles to several diseases, including Alzheimer's and heart disease
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Shannon Osaka
Published Jan 07, 2026 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 4 minute read
Microplastics
Microplastics Getty Images
For many scientists, 2025 was the year of microplastics. Researchers have known for decades that tiny plastic particles were floating around in rivers and lakes and accumulating in the ocean. But it’s only in the past year or so that they have begun to understand that the tiny plastics – including some that are impossible to see with the naked eye – are in our bodies and food as well.
And scientists are beginning to crack open what that means for human health.
Here are some of the main things we learned about microplastics in 2025.
– – –
Microplastics are accumulating in the brain
After discovering the particles in testicles, kidneys, the liver, placenta, and even a baby’s first poop, scientists turned their attention to the brain. Last year, a team of researchers at the University of New Mexico used cadaver brains to analyze whether the tiny particles were passing through the blood-brain barrier.
They found the plastics were not only entering the brain – they were actually accumulating there. Brains of people who died in 2024, for example, had significantly higher concentrations of microplastics than the brains of people who died in 2016. And there was no correlation between the amount of microplastics and the age of the person at the time of their death.
Researchers also looked at brain samples going back to 1997 and found the same trend – newer samples had more microplastics.
The study also estimated that the human brain was 0.5 percent microplastics by weight – or that the brain contained around 7 grams of the tiny plastics, about the weight of a plastic spoon. That finding has been challenged by some other experts, who say that certain fatty cells in the brain can resemble microplastics.
– – –
New links between microplastics and certain diseases
Although the science of microplastics is new, studies in 2025 linked the tiny particles to several diseases, including Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
In one study by researchers at the University of Rhode Island, scientists analyzed mice with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s. When the mice were exposed to tiny particles of polystyrene – the same plastic used in Styrofoam – the mice showed signs of memory problems consistent to early-stage Alzheimer’s. The mice not exposed to microplastics did not show the same problems.
There are other suggestive links. In the New Mexico study, researchers found that patients with dementia had three to five times the amount of microplastics as patients without. But, the researchers warned, dementia can make the brain more porous – meaning those brains were more vulnerable to the tiny particles.
Scientists are also looking into a connection between microplastics and heart disease. In a 2024 study, a group of Italian researchers found that people with microplastics in a key artery were more likely to suffer heart attack, stroke, or death in the following three years. Another study by scientists at the University of California at Riverside found that male mice exposed to microplastics were more likely to develop atherosclerosis, or a build up of plaque in arteries that can lead to heart attack or stroke.
– – –
How to avoid microplastics in your food and drink
Scientists around the world have continued to find microplastics in food and drink. One study of beverages in the United Kingdom found the tiny particles in hot coffee, hot tea, bottled water, fruit juice, energy drinks and soft drinks. Microplastics have previously been found in tap water across many different states and countries; they are also in fruits, vegetables, meat, highly processed foods and fish.
But researchers say one of the key risk factors is heat. A plastic cup with a hot drink, for example, is more likely to shed tiny particles into the beverage than a cold drink. Other researchers have found that plastic tubs and containers shed many more particles when heated or placed in the microwave.
Highly processed foods are also more likely to contain higher concentrations of microplastics – likely because the food passes through numerous assembly lines and processing equipment before it reaches the plate. Those foods are also more likely to have high concentrations of plastic chemicals that can disrupt hormones in the body, such as phthalates or bisphenols.
There are still many questions about the health risks of microplastics. Researchers are trying to understand what average exposure might look like for a typical American, and whether it takes abnormally high exposure levels to create health problems.
“If 2025 taught us anything, it is that we need accurate data, standardized analytical methods, and high-quality research to inform decision-making,” said Kimberly Wise White, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at the American Chemistry Council, a trade group for chemical companies. White said that a 2025 report from the European Food Safety Authority argued that most of the studies on microplastics in food so far didn’t meet minimum quality standards.
But scientists say new research is on the way. The world produced 450 million tons of plastics in 2025, and that number is only expected to climb. If all of those plastics eventually turn into tiny microplastics, the planet will be facing one of the most prolific forms of pollution ever – and one that we know very little about.
torontosun.com
Although the science of microplastics is new, studies link the tiny particles to several diseases, including Alzheimer's and heart disease
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Shannon Osaka
Published Jan 07, 2026 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 4 minute read
Microplastics
Microplastics Getty Images
For many scientists, 2025 was the year of microplastics. Researchers have known for decades that tiny plastic particles were floating around in rivers and lakes and accumulating in the ocean. But it’s only in the past year or so that they have begun to understand that the tiny plastics – including some that are impossible to see with the naked eye – are in our bodies and food as well.
And scientists are beginning to crack open what that means for human health.
Here are some of the main things we learned about microplastics in 2025.
– – –
Microplastics are accumulating in the brain
After discovering the particles in testicles, kidneys, the liver, placenta, and even a baby’s first poop, scientists turned their attention to the brain. Last year, a team of researchers at the University of New Mexico used cadaver brains to analyze whether the tiny particles were passing through the blood-brain barrier.
They found the plastics were not only entering the brain – they were actually accumulating there. Brains of people who died in 2024, for example, had significantly higher concentrations of microplastics than the brains of people who died in 2016. And there was no correlation between the amount of microplastics and the age of the person at the time of their death.
Researchers also looked at brain samples going back to 1997 and found the same trend – newer samples had more microplastics.
The study also estimated that the human brain was 0.5 percent microplastics by weight – or that the brain contained around 7 grams of the tiny plastics, about the weight of a plastic spoon. That finding has been challenged by some other experts, who say that certain fatty cells in the brain can resemble microplastics.
– – –
New links between microplastics and certain diseases
Although the science of microplastics is new, studies in 2025 linked the tiny particles to several diseases, including Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
In one study by researchers at the University of Rhode Island, scientists analyzed mice with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s. When the mice were exposed to tiny particles of polystyrene – the same plastic used in Styrofoam – the mice showed signs of memory problems consistent to early-stage Alzheimer’s. The mice not exposed to microplastics did not show the same problems.
There are other suggestive links. In the New Mexico study, researchers found that patients with dementia had three to five times the amount of microplastics as patients without. But, the researchers warned, dementia can make the brain more porous – meaning those brains were more vulnerable to the tiny particles.
Scientists are also looking into a connection between microplastics and heart disease. In a 2024 study, a group of Italian researchers found that people with microplastics in a key artery were more likely to suffer heart attack, stroke, or death in the following three years. Another study by scientists at the University of California at Riverside found that male mice exposed to microplastics were more likely to develop atherosclerosis, or a build up of plaque in arteries that can lead to heart attack or stroke.
– – –
How to avoid microplastics in your food and drink
Scientists around the world have continued to find microplastics in food and drink. One study of beverages in the United Kingdom found the tiny particles in hot coffee, hot tea, bottled water, fruit juice, energy drinks and soft drinks. Microplastics have previously been found in tap water across many different states and countries; they are also in fruits, vegetables, meat, highly processed foods and fish.
But researchers say one of the key risk factors is heat. A plastic cup with a hot drink, for example, is more likely to shed tiny particles into the beverage than a cold drink. Other researchers have found that plastic tubs and containers shed many more particles when heated or placed in the microwave.
Highly processed foods are also more likely to contain higher concentrations of microplastics – likely because the food passes through numerous assembly lines and processing equipment before it reaches the plate. Those foods are also more likely to have high concentrations of plastic chemicals that can disrupt hormones in the body, such as phthalates or bisphenols.
There are still many questions about the health risks of microplastics. Researchers are trying to understand what average exposure might look like for a typical American, and whether it takes abnormally high exposure levels to create health problems.
“If 2025 taught us anything, it is that we need accurate data, standardized analytical methods, and high-quality research to inform decision-making,” said Kimberly Wise White, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at the American Chemistry Council, a trade group for chemical companies. White said that a 2025 report from the European Food Safety Authority argued that most of the studies on microplastics in food so far didn’t meet minimum quality standards.
But scientists say new research is on the way. The world produced 450 million tons of plastics in 2025, and that number is only expected to climb. If all of those plastics eventually turn into tiny microplastics, the planet will be facing one of the most prolific forms of pollution ever – and one that we know very little about.
What we learned about microplastics in 2025
Although the science of microplastics is new, studies link the tiny particles to several diseases, including Alzheimer's and heart disease.
Water on some planes shouldn’t even be used to wash hands: Study
The report revealed which airlines are most likely to carry “potentially unsafe water”
Author of the article
enette Wilford
Published Jan 07, 2026 • 3 minute read
American Airlines passenger jets
American Airlines passenger jets prepare for departure, Wednesday, July 21, 2021, near a terminal at Logan International Airport, in Boston. Photo by Steven Senne /AP
Most, if not all, airplanes have signs in their washrooms warning passengers not to drink the tap water because it can contain contaminants.
However, airlines are also serving that gross water to travellers, according to a new study.
The report revealed which airlines are most likely to carry “potentially unsafe water,” with researchers urging flyers to stick to bottled water and even avoid drinking the coffee or tea served.
What’s worse is that researchers also suggested that passengers refrain from washing their hands in aircraft bathrooms.
The Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity analyzed more than 35,000 water samples served by 21 U.S. airlines — 10 major and 11 regional — over three years (from Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2025).
The samples were collected from different parts of the aircrafts including galley and bathroom faucets, and tested for coliforms — microbes that can indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms, and E. coli.
The analysis found that 2.7% of samples tested positive for the group of bacteria that’s found in the digestive tracts of humans and animals, as well as in plants and soil.
“Testing for coliform bacteria is important because their presence in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms (pathogens) could be in the water system,” the nonprofit said in its report.
E. coli was identified 32 times across the 21 airlines, the group said.
Which airlines were the worst — and best?
Among major airlines, American had the lowest score — 1.75 out of five, or a D grade.
JetBlue, which ranked lowest in a 2019 water safety study, scored 1.8 and also received a grade of D.
Spirit also got a D, with a score of 2.05, while United, Hawaiian and Southwest Airlines all received C grades.
Alaska and Allegiant Air each received Bs while Delta and Frontier topped the list with a 5 and a 4.8, respectively.
As for regional airlines, GOJet ranked the best with a 3.85 while Mesa Airlines earned the worst score of all, earning a 1.35 and a big, fat F.
How does some planes’ water get so bad?
“Nearly all regional airlines need to improve their onboard water safety, with the exception of GoJet Airlines,” Charles Platkin, director of the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity, noted in the report.
Water used in galleys and bathroom sinks is drawn from a water tank on the plane, which airlines are required to disinfect and flush four times a year.
However, the study pointed out that aircraft water systems can experience periods of stagnation between flights and temperature variations during ascent and descent, as well as possible contamination from airport hoses and tanks.
“Never drink any water onboard that isn’t in a sealed bottle and do not drink coffee or tea onboard,” Platkin recommended.
He also added: “Do not wash your hands in the bathroom — use alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60 per cent alcohol instead.”
What airlines had to say
American Airlines told CBS News in a statement that its potable water program is “fully in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR).”
The airline cited a recent audit from the agency that showed “no significant findings with our program,” and added that they are reviewing the Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity’s analysis “to determine any potential changes that would further enhance the safety and well-being of our customers and team.”
JetBlue said in a statement that it follows processes outlined by the EPA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure safe water, noting it serves bottled drinking water on its flights.
Spirit said it maintains a comprehensive testing and maintenance program that complies with the EPA’s aircraft drinking water rule, while Southwest told the outlet it regularly inspects the water quality aboard its planes and that it complies with EPA standards.
torontosun.com
The report revealed which airlines are most likely to carry “potentially unsafe water”
Author of the article
enette WilfordPublished Jan 07, 2026 • 3 minute read
American Airlines passenger jets
American Airlines passenger jets prepare for departure, Wednesday, July 21, 2021, near a terminal at Logan International Airport, in Boston. Photo by Steven Senne /AP
Most, if not all, airplanes have signs in their washrooms warning passengers not to drink the tap water because it can contain contaminants.
However, airlines are also serving that gross water to travellers, according to a new study.
The report revealed which airlines are most likely to carry “potentially unsafe water,” with researchers urging flyers to stick to bottled water and even avoid drinking the coffee or tea served.
What’s worse is that researchers also suggested that passengers refrain from washing their hands in aircraft bathrooms.
The Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity analyzed more than 35,000 water samples served by 21 U.S. airlines — 10 major and 11 regional — over three years (from Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2025).
The samples were collected from different parts of the aircrafts including galley and bathroom faucets, and tested for coliforms — microbes that can indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms, and E. coli.
The analysis found that 2.7% of samples tested positive for the group of bacteria that’s found in the digestive tracts of humans and animals, as well as in plants and soil.
“Testing for coliform bacteria is important because their presence in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms (pathogens) could be in the water system,” the nonprofit said in its report.
E. coli was identified 32 times across the 21 airlines, the group said.
Which airlines were the worst — and best?
Among major airlines, American had the lowest score — 1.75 out of five, or a D grade.
JetBlue, which ranked lowest in a 2019 water safety study, scored 1.8 and also received a grade of D.
Spirit also got a D, with a score of 2.05, while United, Hawaiian and Southwest Airlines all received C grades.
Alaska and Allegiant Air each received Bs while Delta and Frontier topped the list with a 5 and a 4.8, respectively.
As for regional airlines, GOJet ranked the best with a 3.85 while Mesa Airlines earned the worst score of all, earning a 1.35 and a big, fat F.
How does some planes’ water get so bad?
“Nearly all regional airlines need to improve their onboard water safety, with the exception of GoJet Airlines,” Charles Platkin, director of the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity, noted in the report.
Water used in galleys and bathroom sinks is drawn from a water tank on the plane, which airlines are required to disinfect and flush four times a year.
However, the study pointed out that aircraft water systems can experience periods of stagnation between flights and temperature variations during ascent and descent, as well as possible contamination from airport hoses and tanks.
“Never drink any water onboard that isn’t in a sealed bottle and do not drink coffee or tea onboard,” Platkin recommended.
He also added: “Do not wash your hands in the bathroom — use alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60 per cent alcohol instead.”
What airlines had to say
American Airlines told CBS News in a statement that its potable water program is “fully in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR).”
The airline cited a recent audit from the agency that showed “no significant findings with our program,” and added that they are reviewing the Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity’s analysis “to determine any potential changes that would further enhance the safety and well-being of our customers and team.”
JetBlue said in a statement that it follows processes outlined by the EPA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure safe water, noting it serves bottled drinking water on its flights.
Spirit said it maintains a comprehensive testing and maintenance program that complies with the EPA’s aircraft drinking water rule, while Southwest told the outlet it regularly inspects the water quality aboard its planes and that it complies with EPA standards.
Water on some planes shouldn’t even be used to wash hands: Study
The report revealed which airlines are most likely to carry “potentially unsafe water.” Read on for more on the disgusting matter.