Your brain is full of microplastics: are they harming you?

2 min read Original article ↗
  • NEWS FEATURE

Plastics have infiltrated every recess of the planet, including your lungs, kidneys and other sensitive organs. Scientists are scrambling to understand their effects on health.

Abstract illustration showing a human figure surrounded by small colourful shapes with some of the shapes within the head.

Illustration: Ibrahim Rayintakath

A sliver of human brain in a small vial starts to melt as lye is added to it. Over the next few days, the caustic chemical will break down the neurons and blood vessels within, leaving behind a grisly slurry containing thousands of tiny plastic particles.

Nature 638, 311-313 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00405-8

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