Tag: plastic

Earth Science, HSus 1: Human Activity (HS), HSus 5: Showing Human Impact (HS), Human Sustainability

Plastics: Issues Challenges and Remediation

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Plastics: Issues Challenges and Remediation (NOT OPEN ACCESS) SUMMARY: A short and concise article summing up all the issues with plastic use and some solutions that can be applied and/or are currently being investigated. LESSON COMMENTS: Great for an environmental science class talking about pollution and solutions to current environmental issues. This article does a… Continue reading Plastics: Issues Challenges and Remediation

Life Science, Physical Science, S&P 4: Molecule Traits (HS), Structure & Properties of Matter, Structure and Function

Engineering a Better Enzyme to Degrade PET Plastic

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Characterization and engineering of a plastic-degrading aromatic polyesterase SUMMARY: There is a bacterium that makes PETase (an enzyme that can digest PET plastic). Researchers in this paper took this PETase enzyme, modified it slightly, and made it better. The modifications aded in sections that were commonly seen in other enzymes such as cutinases and lipases;… Continue reading Engineering a Better Enzyme to Degrade PET Plastic

Chemical Reactions, CR 1: Predicting Reactions (HS), Physical Science, S&P 2: Synthetic Materials (MS), S&P 4: Molecule Traits (HS), Structure & Properties of Matter, W 3: Digital vs Analog (MS), Waves & Electromagnetic Radiation

Nanoplastics and the Cell Membrane: A Simulation

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Polystyrene Nanoparticles Perturb Lipid Membranes(NOT OPEN ACCESS) SUMMARY: This experiment used computer graphics to simulate how polystyrene nanoparticles could possibly interact with a biological membrane. This requires knowing the chemical properties of both polystyrene and the cell membrane. The simulation (called a coarse-grained molecular simulation) showed that these tiny pieces of plastic are able to… Continue reading Nanoplastics and the Cell Membrane: A Simulation

HSus 1: Human Activity (HS), HSus 2: Monitoring Human Impact (MS), HSus 3: Arguing Sustainability (MS), HSus 3: Human/Ecosystem Interactions (HS), HSus 4: Evaluating Solutions (HS), HSus 5: Showing Human Impact (HS), Human Sustainability, S&F 1: Cells (MS), S&F 2: Body Systems (HS), S&F 3: Body Systems (MS), S&P 2: Synthetic Materials (MS), Structure & Properties of Matter, Structure and Function

Feeding Plastic to Rotifers

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Microplastic Size-Dependent Toxicity, Oxidative Stress Induction, and p-JNK and p-p38 in Activation in the Monogonont Rotifer (Brachionus koreanus)(NOT OPEN ACCESS) SUMMARY: Rotifers (Brachionus koreanus) were fed fluorescent microplastic beads of 3 different sizes: 6um, 0.5um, 0.05um. The pictures in this article show how much microplastic was still left inside the rotifers right after eating, after… Continue reading Feeding Plastic to Rotifers