The "micro" prefix in the word microplastics might lead one to think that these tiny plastic particles, by definition less than 5 millimeters in length, are harmless trifles. And though microplastics are sometimes intentionally manufactured, more often these tiny slivers are created by accidents or the ravages of time, ending their life as pollution in our environment. When that happens, they are far from harmless — rather, they pose a threat to most life on Earth.
Part of the reason is that microplastics are linked to illnesses from cancer and infertility to inflammatory bowel disease. Unfortunately, they are so prevalent in the environment that even remote Pacific island nations like Palau are not safe. Humanity desperately needs an alternative — and that is where researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) enter the picture.
