"If you eat mussels, you eat microplastics." This was already known to a limited extent about mussels from individual ocean regions. A new study by the University of Bayreuth, led by Prof. Dr. Christian Laforsch, reveals that this claim holds true globally. The Bayreuth team investigated the microplastic load of four mussel species which are particularly often sold as food in supermarkets from twelve countries around the world. The scientists now present their research results in the journal "Environmental Pollution".
The environmental damage arising from the production of foods is not currently reflected in prices. If the consequential costs of the greenhouse gases emitted are determined and added to current food prices, animal products such as milk, cheese and especially meat would have to become far more expensive. The price difference between conventional and organic products would also be less. These results have been published in the journal Nature Communications by a team of researchers led by an Augsburg economist, Dr. Tobias Gaugler.
The environment is polluted by microplastics worldwide. The tiny particles enter food chains, and thereby the digestive systems of animals and humans; moreover, they can be inhaled. Instead of being excreted, small microplastics can be incorporated into the body tissue. A research team at the University of Bayreuth has now discovered that microplastic particles find their way into living cells more easily if they were exposed to natural aquatic environments, i.e. fresh water and seawater. Biomolecules occurring in the water are deposited on the microplastic surfaces, which promote the internalization of the particles into cells. The researchers present their results in "Science Advances".
Prof. Dr. med. Renate Oberhoffer-Fritz, Dean of the Department of Sport and Health Sciences at the Technical University of Munich calls for “children and adolescents to finally get more exercise” in response to recent WHO recommendations.
In German-speaking countries, teenagers are allowed to drink alcohol from the age of 16. In a comprehensive data analysis, taking Austria as an example, a team of economists from Passau and Linz have investigated the impact of this low minimum legal drinking age on teenage binge drinking.
An exciting research project with current relevance and a wide range of possible applications is currently underway at Hof University of Applied Sciences: The Institute for Material Sciences (ifm) is doing research on antibacterial surface coatings. In the future, these paint compounds are going to be used in hospitals, doctors' surgeries or even in public transport systems in particular and will inhibit the spread of bacteria and viruses. For the first time, a natural substance, which can be obtained by the remains of crustaceans that has been little used so far, will help.
In order to combat the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 the legislator is also among those faced with enormous challenges. Scholars from the University of Passau examine possibilities and limitations for a coherent legal framework.
An international research team led by Prof. Dr. Othmar Moser, Professor of Exercise Physiology & Metabolism at the University of Bayreuth, has developed guidelines for glucose management around exercise. The recommendations published in the journals "Diabetologia" and "Pediatric Diabetes" aim to protect people with diabetes type 1 from hypo- and hyperglycaemia.
Researchers of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have cultured so-called intestinal organoids from human intestinal tissue, which is a common byproduct when performing bowel surgery. These small “miniature intestines” can be used for molecular biological examinations and allow for a direct application of research results to humans, thereby making animal experiments redundant.
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