Friday, October 17, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Boiling removes microplastics from water

Published 3 March 2024
– By Editorial Staff
In hard water containing 300 milligrams of CaCO3 per liter, up to 90% of microplastics were removed after boiling.
2 minute read

Boiling water can remove microplastics, according to a Chinese study. Boiling hard water could remove up to 90% of plastics.

The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, sampled water from the city of Guangzhou in China with so-called nano- and microplastics. Microplastics are plastic particles that are 5 millimeters or smaller and are found in everything from water to soil to air.

The samples were boiled for five minutes and allowed to cool, then the team measured the levels of free-floating plastic. Water can be “hard” or “soft,” the difference being the amount of calcium and magnesium ions it contains, the more of these the “harder” the water.

Boiling hard water, which is rich in minerals, produces a chalky substance called lime or calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This substance has been found to form crystal structures that encapsulate microplastics.

In hard water containing 300 milligrams of CaCO3 per liter, up to 90 percent of free-floating microplastics were removed after boiling; even at lower concentrations, such as 180 milligrams, up to 84 percent were removed. In soft water, with less than 60 milligrams per liter, about 25 percent of the plastics were removed.

Wide variation in water quality

A 2022 study tested the levels of microplastics in participants and found that 80% had them in their bodies. Very little is known about how microplastics affect health, but some studies have shown that they affect the bacteria in the stomach.

Asian countries have a long tradition of drinking cooled, boiled water because it is believed to be good for health, but this has not been scientifically tested. The researchers suggest that boiling water could be a simple but effective way to reduce unhealthy consumption of microplastics.

“Because the presence of NMPs (nano/microplastics) and water quality is uneven around the world, the effect of boiling water to reduce NMPs may vary from region to region”, the researchers wrote. “Nevertheless, our results have confirmed a very feasible strategy to reduce human exposure to NMPs and laid the groundwork for further investigations with a much larger number of samples”.

The study was conducted by researchers from Guangzhou Medical University in collaboration with Jinan University.

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

Record-breaking dinosaur trackway unearthed in England

Published yesterday 10:27
– By Editorial Staff
Replica of a Cetiosaurus skeleton. Hundreds of footprints were discovered during the excavation in Oxfordshire, England.
2 minute read

British researchers have unearthed a 220-meter-long dinosaur trackway and evidence that dozens of individuals moved as a herd. It is the longest footprint trail ever found from a dinosaur in Europe.

It was last year that researchers discovered a new paleontological site full of dinosaur footprints. At the location, situated at Dewars Farm quarry near Bicester in Oxfordshire, England, footprints were found from, among others, the nine-meter-long carnivore Megalosaurus.

This year, researchers from the University of Birmingham and Oxford University Museum of Natural History returned to the “Jurassic Highway”, as the site is called, to investigate it further. They then discovered hundreds of new footprints from sauropods, commonly known as “long-necks”.

Largest trackway site

This site in Oxfordshire is the largest dinosaur track site in the UK, and arguably now the largest mapped dinosaur track site in the world when we consider finds dating back to the 1990s on the same surface nearby, says Kirsty Edgar, professor at the University of Birmingham, to Sci News.

Sauropods are a group of herbivorous dinosaurs and were the largest animals that ever walked on land. The researchers believe the footprints came from a cetiosaurus, a sauropod that can reach approximately 20 meters in length.

In total, four different trackways were discovered that the dinosaurs had walked, dated to 166 million years old. One of these trackways was 220 meters long – making it the longest footprint trail found from a dinosaur in Europe.

What is most exciting about this site is the sheer size and number of footprints. We now have evidence of tens of individuals moving through this area at around the same time, perhaps as a herd, says Dr Duncan Murdock at Oxford University Museum of Natural History in a press release.

Two meters per second

The footprints were up to one meter long, and researchers have analyzed the dinosaurs’ direction and pace, calculating that they could move at approximately two meters per second.

The other three trackways are not yet fully exposed, which means they may prove to be even longer. Additionally, smaller finds of marine invertebrates, plant material, and a crocodile jaw have been discovered.

Richard Butler, professor at the University of Birmingham, believes that footprints can provide important information about how dinosaurs lived.

Most of what we know about dinosaurs comes from their skeletons, but footprints and the sediments that they are in can provide valuable additional information about how these organisms lived and what their environment looked like over 166 million years ago, he tells Sci News.

Vultures collect archaeological finds

Published 15 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The bearded vulture is an endangered species that lives in mountainous regions of Asia, Africa and southern Europe.
3 minute read

Researchers have discovered hundreds of years old human artifacts in vulture nests – including shoes, crossbow arrows, and a spear.

Many bird species have a habit of collecting various artificial objects, such as plastic pieces, strings, or debris, to bring to their nests. Often this is about building nests and these materials are simply readily available to the birds.

Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae), found primarily in Australia and New Guinea, also have a habit of decorating their homes with advanced methods to impress females. They build structures and collect colorful items such as shells, flowers, stones, and also plastic objects.

Larger birds such as eagles, falcons, and vultures also collect items for their nests, but something unique to many of these bird species is that the same nest can be reused for generations if it’s in a good location. In this way, birds continue to use the same nest, and thus also fill them, for centuries.

Reused for Hundreds of Years

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is a bird species that lives in mountainous areas in Asia, Africa, and southern Europe, and this behavior of reusing nests has been documented in this species.

The endangered species often builds nests in cliff caves, mountain cliffs, or on ledges, and many of these regions are often dry, especially in European mountain ranges where the species frequently resides. Particularly in cave-like structures, conditions can become ideal for long-term preservation, and researchers have now examined this more closely.

Researchers in Spain examined twelve abandoned bearded vulture nests in an area in southern Spain where the species became extinct 70–130 years ago. In total, they found 226 human-made objects in the nest layers.

Natural Museums

Among other things, they found a slingshot, shoes, a crossbow arrow, a spear, a decorated sheepskin, and fragments of a basket that the bearded vultures used as material to build their nests. Many of the objects were made from esparto grass, a traditional fiber plant used in the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. What surprised the researchers was the age of the objects – many of them were hundreds of years old.

One shoe was dated to be 675 years old and the sheepskin was 650 years old. The basket piece was younger and dated to 150 years old. The objects were also in surprisingly good condition.

“Thanks to the solidity of Bearded Vulture nest structures and their locations in the western Mediterranean, generally in protected places such as caves and rock shelters with relatively stable temperature and low humidity conditions, they have acted as natural museums, conserving historical material in good condition”, the researchers write in the study published in the journal Ecology.

Time Capsules

In addition to the artificial objects, researchers also found 2,117 bones, 86 hooves, 72 leather remains, 11 hair remains, and 43 eggshells. Bearded vultures actively collect bones and objects for their nests, and these findings provide interesting information about the species’ diet since medieval times, as well as about wild animal populations and human-animal interactions in the area.

The eggshells also enable further studies on environmental toxins and pesticides and whether there may be any connection to why the species became extinct in the area. The hope is also that the objects can be used to provide important information regarding reintroduction of the species.

The study shows how old nests can function as time capsules that preserve both natural history and cultural history information. The findings provide not only insights into the bearded vulture’s past, but also about people’s lives in these mountain areas hundreds of years ago.

WHO sounds alarm: Common infections becoming impossible to treat

Published 14 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Bacteria develop resistance when antibiotics are used incorrectly or unnecessarily.
2 minute read

Common infections are becoming increasingly difficult – and sometimes impossible – to treat.

New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that one in six bacterial infections globally is resistant to standard antibiotics, threatening millions of lives and straining healthcare systems worldwide.

According to WHO’s latest report, antibiotic resistance increased in over 40 percent of the tracked combinations of bacteria and drugs between 2018 and 2023, with average annual increases of 5 to 15 percent.

— Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide, says WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The report, based on data from over 100 countries, shows that one in three infections in WHO’s South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions were resistant to antibiotics, compared to one in five in Africa.

Overuse of antibiotics

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve to resist the drugs designed to kill them.

This is primarily driven by overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans, animals, and agriculture. Poor infection control, limited access to quality medicines, and inadequate sanitation and clean water further exacerbate the problem.

WHO estimates that bacterial AMR directly caused 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and contributed to nearly five million deaths globally. Without action, experts warn that resistant infections could cause an estimated €2.7 trillion in global GDP losses annually by 2030.

“We must innovate”

The greatest danger comes from certain disease-causing gram-negative bacteria, as their protective outer shell makes them difficult to kill and they often develop drug resistance. E. coli and K. pneumoniae, two common causes of bloodstream infections, show alarming resistance levels.

Globally, more than 40 percent of E. coli strains and 55 percent of K. pneumoniae strains were resistant to third-generation cephalosporins – the first-line treatment for many serious infections. In parts of Africa, levels exceed 70 percent.

— Our future also depends on strengthening systems to prevent, diagnose and treat infections and on innovating with next-generation antibiotics and rapid point-of-care molecular tests, declares the WHO Director-General, who as usual calls for more resources to be allocated to vaccination programs.

— We must use antibiotics responsibly, and make sure everyone has access to the right medicines, quality-assured diagnostics, and vaccines, the statement reads.

USA: Cognitive abilities declining among young adults

Published 11 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Economic stress, digital dependency and an uncertain job market may be behind the increase, according to researchers.
2 minute read

An increasing number of adults in the United States are experiencing problems with cognitive abilities such as concentration, memory, or decision-making. The increase has primarily occurred among adults aged 18 to 39.

The study is based on data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, an annual telephone survey conducted by state health departments in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers examined data on brain health between 2013 and 2023. A total of 4.5 million responses were recorded during the study period.

Increased most among young adults

The results, which are presented in Neurology, show that there has been a sharp increase in cognitive impairment problems with concentration or memory, for example during the study period. The increase began in 2016 and has continued to rise since then.

Between 2013 and 2023, cognitive impairment among adults without depression increased from 5.3 percent to 7.4 percent. Among young adults aged 18 to 39, the increase was most pronounced, more than doubling from 5.1 percent in 2013 to 10.2 percent a decade later.

Digitalization may contribute

However, the causes of the increase remain unclear, researchers say. It may partly be due to increased awareness among young adults that makes them more likely to acknowledge brain health issues.

But I certainly don’t think it is the sole cause at all, says study co-author Ka-Ho Wong, a public health scientist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, in a press release.

Wong believes that economic stress, job market uncertainty, and increased dependence on digital tools play a major role. As an example, Wong notes that while his parents can remember their home phone numbers from childhood, younger adults “can barely remember our own cell phone numbers half the time”. The results indicate, however, that doctors and public health officials should pay greater attention to brain health among young adults.

If they report it, we need to address it, says Wong.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.