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Must Be Microplastics on the Brain

Must Be Microplastics on the Brain

Many people are concerned about microplastics reaching our brain—but few realize how this connects with petroleum production and the climate crisis.

Science Quickly

March 5, 202514m 52s

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Show Notes

Not much passes into our brain from the rest of our body, to the chagrin of drug makers everywhere. So it should be cause for concern when a study found that microplastics were somehow ending up in our brain, says chief opinion editor Megha Satyanarayana. She takes a step back and brings us into the wider world of plastics and the way petroleum chemicals can become pollutants far beyond the factories where they are made. Plus, Satyanarayana discusses the Scientific American opinion section and her column Cross Currents, which aims to decode the science from the headlines.


Recommended reading:

Why Aren’t We Losing Our Minds over the Plastic in Our Brains? 

Subscribe to receive weekly emails alerts for Satyanarayana’s column Cross Currents: 


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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman with guest Megha Satyanarayana. Our show is edited by Alex Sugiura with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck.  The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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