And there are so many articles and videos and discussions. Like, the scientific community is buzzing about this.

So much research will have to be redone because the data was absolutely compromised, off by orders of magnitude, by using standard lab gloves.

The world is probably not horrifically contaminated by microplastics. Sterile laboratories, however, are contaminated by latex and nitrile gloves.

Sources beyond dude just trust me, for the skeptics.

https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/scientists-lab-gloves-may-be-causing-an-overestimation-of-microplastics-411138

Nitrile and latex gloves may cause overestimation of microplastics - Phys.org (it’s a pdf)

The links above are all referring to the same University of Michigan study. The scientists from that study underline over and over again that microplastics are still very much a problem. This is more about technical precision than "oh wow we totally overreacted and microplastics are not a problem." They are very much a problem and the scientists say so. This is important work but does not erase the problem.

The graphic at the top was not created by the scientists who published the study. It was seemingly created by a random Twitter user, I wouldn't be surprised if with AI. The big jump on the graph gives a certain impression, but even if the numbers are accurate it gives a misleading impression.

A Southern Alley - Wenjie Lin , 2026.

Chinese , b. 1986 -

A collage of nine different turtle and tortoise species, specifically showcasing the varied patterns and colors of their shells, Herpetology

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Egrets at a lake :3

ᐃᖃᓗᑦᓯᐊᕙᒃ ‘Beautiful Fish’ (2005) by