news

New research from scientists at Trinity College Dublin strongly implies that heatwaves have a major influence on the spread of many diseases - and that many existing predictive models have overlooked this complexity.

AMBER Centre researchers based in Trinity have discovered that the way many everyday plastics are manufactured builds unseen stress into the material-stress that later drives the release of tiny plastic particles into our food and the environment. When factories mould plastics into water pipes, bottles, and household products for food preparation, they cool the molten plastic quickly, so it keeps its shape.

New research reveals that PET-based glitter microplastics can actively influence biomineralisation processes in marine environments, raising fresh concerns about the long-term environmental impact of microplastic pollution on marine ecosystems. The research, led by a team from Trinity's School of Natural Sciences and published in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe , shows that these microplastics promote the crystallisation of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) minerals, potentially affecting the growth and stability of marine calcifying organisms.