#Helmholtz-Institute

[kreuzfahrttester]

HX Hurtigruten Expeditions stärkt Präsenz im deutschsprachigen Markt

HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, ein Pionier im Bereich nachhaltiger Expeditions-Seereisen, hat die Kommunikationsagentur Wilde & Partner für die DACH-Region an Bord geholt. Mit fast 130 Jahren Geschichte ist HX bekannt für einzigartige Naturerlebnisse und legt besonderen Wert auf nachhaltige und authentische Reisen. Die Zusammenarbeit zielt darauf ab, die Markenbekanntheit im deutschsprachigen Raum…

[electronautviews]

„Wie wird die Batterie von morgen leistungsfähiger, nachhaltiger und kostengünstiger?“

Bei „Augenblick für Forschung“ referieren Experten ein Viertelstündchen im Rahmen eines Online-Vortrags. Die Reihe bietet Einblicke in aktuelle Forschungsthemen, die von der Daimler und Benz Stiftung gefördert werden. Die Protagonisten sind Stipendiaten des Postdoktoranden-Förderprogramms, die ihre individuellen Projekte vorstellen – engagiert, anschaulich und vielfältig. Den aktuellen Beitrag…

[reasonsforhope]

Scientists have developed a new solar-powered system to convert saltwater into fresh drinking water which they say could help reduce dangerous the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera.

Via tests in rural communities, they showed that the process is more than 20% cheaper than traditional methods and can be deployed in rural locations around the globe.

Building on existing processes that convert saline groundwater to freshwater, the researchers from King’s College London, in collaboration with MIT and the Helmholtz Institute for Renewable Energy Systems, created a new system that produced consistent levels of water using solar power, and reported it in a paper published recently in Nature Water.

It works through a process called electrodialysis which separates the salt using a set of specialized membranes that channel salt ions into a stream of brine, leaving the water fresh and drinkable. By flexibly adjusting the voltage and the rate at which salt water flowed through the system, the researchers developed a system that adjusts to variable sunshine while not compromising on the amount of fresh drinking water produced.

Using data first gathered in the village of Chelleru near Hyderabad in India, and then recreating these conditions of the village in New Mexico, the team successfully converted up to 10 cubic meters, or several bathtubs worth of fresh drinking water. This was enough for 3,000 people a day with the process continuing to run regardless of variable solar power caused by cloud coverage and rain.

[Note: Not sure what metric they're using to calculate daily water needs here. Presumably this is drinking water only.]

Dr. Wei He from the Department of Engineering at King’s College London believes the new technology could bring massive benefits to rural communities, not only increasing the supply of drinking water but also bringing health benefits.

“By offering a cheap, eco-friendly alternative that can be operated off the grid, our technology enables communities to tap into alternative water sources (such as deep aquifers or saline water) to address water scarcity and contamination in traditional water supplies,” said He.

“This technology can expand water sources available to communities beyond traditional ones and by providing water from uncontaminated saline sources, may help combat water scarcity or unexpected emergencies when conventional water supplies are disrupted, for example like the recent cholera outbreaks in Zambia.”

In the global rural population, 1.6 billion people face water scarcity, many of whom are reliant on stressed reserves of groundwater lying beneath the Earth’s surface.

However, worldwide 56% of groundwater is saline and unsuitable for consumption. This issue is particularly prevalent in India, where 60% of the land harbors undrinkable saline water. Consequently, there is a pressing need for efficient desalination methods to create fresh drinking water cheaply, and at scale.

Traditional desalination technology has relied either on costly batteries in off-grid systems or a grid system to supply the energy necessary to remove salt from the water. In developing countries’ rural areas, however, grid infrastructure can be unreliable and is largely reliant on fossil fuels...

“By removing the need for a grid system entirely and cutting reliance on battery tech by 92%, our system can provide reliable access to safe drinking water, entirely emission-free, onsite, and at a discount of roughly 22% to the people who need it compared to traditional methods,” He said.

The system also has the potential to be used outside of developing areas, particularly in agriculture where climate change is leading to unstable reserves of fresh water for irrigation.

The team plans to scale up the availability of the technology across India through collaboration with local partners. Beyond this, a team from MIT also plans to create a start-up to commercialize and fund the technology.

“While the US and UK have more stable, diversified grids than most countries, they still rely on fossil fuels. By removing fossil fuels from the equation for energy-hungry sectors like agriculture, we can help accelerate the transition to Net Zero,” He said.

-via Good News Network, April 2, 2024

[mindblowingscience]

A German-American research team has discovered two highly unusual bacterial species in the tissue of two deep-sea corals from the Gulf of Mexico. These previously unknown coral symbionts have an extremely reduced genome and lack the ability to obtain energy from carbohydrates, the team reports in an article published in the journal Nature Communications. The team was led by Professor Iliana Baums from the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg (HIFMB) and Dr. Samuel Vohsen from Lehigh University in the U.S. "These species are impressive examples of how few genes are needed for a functional organism," says Baums.

Continue Reading.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Researchers present new diagnostic tool for laser-plasma accelerator using metal foil as 3D scanner

Laser-plasma accelerators take up less space than conventional facilities, which are sometimes kilometers long. Such compact particle sources can accelerate electron bunches efficiently, enabling X-ray lasers that fit in the basement of a university institute. But there are a few challenges to be met: in order to produce UV or X-ray light, the electron bunches generated by a laser-plasma accelerator must be very finely bundled and have defined properties. To date, it has been difficult to even measure these bunches precisely. Now, a team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has developed a novel measuring method that should help to drive the development of laser-plasma acceleration.

Read more.

[thoughtlessarse]

A trio of physicists and oceanologists, two with the University of Cologne's Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology and the third with the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel, all in Germany, has found via the CESM1 climate model that an extreme El Niño tipping point could be reached in the coming decades under current emissions. The study by Tobias Bayr, Stephanie Fiedler and Joke Lübbecke is published in Geophysical Research Letters. The El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a climate phenomenon in which heat released in parts of the ocean into the atmosphere results in more rainfall in places like the western coast of North and South America and droughts in places like Canada and Africa. Over the past several years, weather watchers have noticed that ENSO events have become more extreme. Prior research has shown that such extreme events used to occur approximately eight or nine times per century. Some in the field have suggested that rising global temperatures could make them happen more often.

continue reading

[bpod-bpod]

Sign of Activity

A virtual reality-trained deep-learning tool called DELiVR detects cells expressing a protein called c-Fos in cleared mouse brain tissue and maps them to the Allen Brain Atlas. c-Fos-positive cells are taken as a sign of neuronal activity and the team use DELiVR to investigate cancer-related brain activity

Read the published research article here

Video from work by Doris Kaltenecker, Rami Al-Maskari & Moritz Negwer, and colleagues

Institute for Diabetes and Cancer (IDC), Helmholtz Munich, Neuherberg; Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Munich, Germany

Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Nature Methods, April 2024

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[beardedmrbean]

Scientists have developed a new solar-powered system to convert saltwater into fresh drinking water which they say could help reduce dangerous the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera.

Via tests in rural communities, they showed that the process is more than 20% cheaper than traditional methods and can be deployed in rural locations around the globe.

Building on existing processes that convert saline groundwater to freshwater, the researchers from King’s College London, in collaboration with MIT and the Helmholtz Institute for Renewable Energy Systems, created a new system that produced consistent levels of water using solar power, and reported it in a paper published recently in Nature Water

It works through a process called electrodialysis which separates the salt using a set of specialized membranes that channel salt ions into a stream of brine, leaving the water fresh and drinkable. By flexibly adjusting the voltage and the rate at which salt water flowed through the system, the researchers developed a system that adjusts to variable sunshine while not compromising on the amount of fresh drinking water produced.

Using data first gathered in the village of Chelleru near Hyderabad in India, and then recreating these conditions of the village in New Mexico, the team successfully converted up to 10 cubic meters, or several bathtubs worth of fresh drinking water. This was enough for 3,000 people a day with the process continuing to run regardless of variable solar power caused by cloud coverage and rain.

Dr. Wei He from the Department of Engineering at King’s College London believes the new technology could bring massive benefits to rural communities, not only increasing the supply of drinking water but also bringing health benefits.

“By offering a cheap, eco-friendly alternative that can be operated off the grid, our technology enables communities to tap into alternative water sources (such as deep aquifers or saline water) to address water scarcity and contamination in traditional water supplies,” said He.

“This technology can expand water sources available to communities beyond traditional ones and by providing water from uncontaminated saline sources, may help combat water scarcity or unexpected emergencies when conventional water supplies are disrupted, for example like the recent cholera outbreaks in Zambia.”

In the global rural population, 1.6 billion people face water scarcity, many of whom are reliant on stressed reserves of groundwater lying beneath the Earth’s surface.

However, worldwide 56% of groundwater is saline and unsuitable for consumption. This issue is particularly prevalent in India, where 60% of the land harbors undrinkable saline water. Consequently, there is a pressing need for efficient desalination methods to create fresh drinking water cheaply, and at scale.

Traditional desalination technology has relied either on costly batteries in off-grid systems or a grid system to supply the energy necessary to remove salt from the water. In developing countries’ rural areas, however, grid infrastructure can be unreliable and is largely reliant on fossil fuels.

Creating a low-cost ‘battery-like’ desalination technology removes the reliance on battery technology for using intermittent solar energy in off-grid applications, enabling affordability to rural communities in developing countries like India.

“By removing the need for a grid system entirely and cutting reliance on battery tech by 92%, our system can provide reliable access to safe drinking water, entirely emission-free, onsite, and at a discount of roughly 22% to the people who need it compared to traditional methods,” He said.

The system also has the potential to be used outside of developing areas, particularly in agriculture where climate change is leading to unstable reserves of fresh water for irrigation.

The team plans to scale up the availability of the technology across India through collaboration with local partners. Beyond this, a team from MIT also plans to create a start-up to commercialize and fund the technology.

“While the US and UK have more stable, diversified grids than most countries, they still rely on fossil fuels. By removing fossil fuels from the equation for energy-hungry sectors like agriculture, we can help accelerate the transition to Net Zero,” He said.

“The next step for us is to apply this low-cost technology to other sectors, including wastewater treatment, and producing alkaline to make the ocean more alkaline to help it absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere. By taking this approach not only can we decarbonize agriculture, but wider environmental and climate benefits as well.”

[mariacallous]

This story originally appeared in Hakai Magazine and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

In the Fram Strait off Greenland’s west coast, Véronique Merten encountered the foot soldiers of an invasion.

Merten was studying the region’s biodiversity using environmental DNA, a method that allows scientists to figure out which species are living nearby by sampling the tiny pieces of genetic material they shed, like scales, skin, and poop. And here, in a stretch of the Arctic Ocean 400 kilometers north of where they’d ever been seen before: capelin.

And they were everywhere.

The small baitfish found in the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is an ardent colonizer. Whenever the ocean conditions change, it’s really easy for capelin to expand their range, says Merten, a marine ecologist at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany.

It is difficult to estimate an animal’s abundance based solely on the amount of its DNA in the water. Yet in Merten’s samples, capelin was the most frequently encountered species—far more than typical Arctic fish like Greenland halibut and Arctic skate. To Merten, the evidence of so many capelin so far north is a bold sign of a worrying Arctic phenomenon: Atlantification.

The Arctic Ocean is warming quickly—the Fram Strait is nearly 2 °C warmer than it was in 1900. But Atlantification is about more than rising temperatures: it’s a process that is reshaping the physical and chemical conditions of the Arctic Ocean.

Because of the oceans’ global circulation patterns, water routinely flows from the Atlantic into the Arctic. This exchange mostly occurs in deeper water, with currents carrying warm and relatively salty Atlantic water north. This warm Atlantic water, however, doesn’t mix well with the Arctic’s surface water, which is relatively cool and fresh. Fresher water is less dense than saltier water, so the Arctic water tends to float on top, trapping the saltier Atlantic water deep below the ocean’s surface.

As sea ice disappears, however, the surface of the Arctic Ocean is heating up. The barrier between the layers is degrading and Atlantic water is mixing more easily into the upper layer. This is kicking off a feedback loop, where warmer surface water melts more sea ice, further exposing the ocean’s surface to sunlight, which heats the water, melts the ice, and allows Atlantic and Arctic water to blend even more. That’s Atlantification: the transformation of the Arctic Ocean from colder, fresher, and ice-capped to warmer, saltier, and increasingly ice-free.

Merten’s discovery of abundant capelin in the Fram Strait—as well as the DNA she found from other Atlantic species, like tuna and cock-eyed squid, far outside their typical range—is further proof of just how quickly Atlantification is playing out. And its consequences could be enormous.

In the Barents Sea off Russia, for example, a long-term study presents a grim picture of how Atlantification can disrupt Arctic ecosystems. As the Barents Sea has grown warmer and saltier, Atlantic species have been “moving in and taking over,” says Maria Fossheim, a fisheries ecologist with the Institute of Marine Research in Norway who led that study.

Fish communities in the Barents Sea, Fossheim says, have shifted north 160 kilometers in just nine years—“three or four times the pace that [previous studies] had foreseen.” By the end of her study, in 2012, Fossheim found that Atlantic species had expanded throughout the Barents Sea, while Arctic species were mostly pushed out.

Merten’s findings suggest the Fram Strait may be heading in a similar direction. Because this study is the first to examine the diversity of fish in the Fram Strait, however, it is unclear how recent these changes really are. “We need these baselines,” Merten says. “It could be that [capelin] already occurred there years ago, but no one ever checked.”

Either way, they’re there now. The question is: what will show up next?

[uispeccoll]

Guest Post from John Martin Rare Book Room

At Hardin Library of Health Sciences

DU VERNEY, JOSEPH (1648-1730). A treatise of the organ of hearing: containing the structure, the uses, and the diseases of all the parts of the ear. 1737.

Hi, my name is Carlisle Isley, and I am a University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science practicum student working in the John Martin Rare Book Room this fall.

I'm introducing you to this book because I have always been fascinated with how the ear, nose, and throat, seemingly small parts of the human body, are connected and can impact our daily quality of life. Interestingly enough, we can thank Sam Baker, a bookseller from the 1700s with a bookshop in London, for A treatise…

Baker commissioned Du Verney's work to sell in his shop down the street from the Angel and Crown ale house in Covent Garden. Baker eventually transformed his bookshop into an auction house for books and manuscripts. Upon his death, he bequeathed his share of the auction house to his nephew, John Sotheby, who would lend his name to the now world-famous Sotheby's auction house.

Joseph Du Verney was an anatomical lecturer and dissection demonstrator at Jardin Du Roi, an early medical plant garden. During the reign of King Louis XIV, theatrical anatomy was performed in public spaces, but bodies could be hard to come by. Body snatching and grave robbing were common. Society was not yet comfortable with donating bodies to science.

It was common to have amphitheaters where students could observe dissections, and Du Verney, with his "dramatic, rhetorical and anatomical skills," drew crowds of people. Du Verney conducted lectures and dissections for the Paris Academy of Science, including for the heir apparent to the French throne and royal courtiers. He also lectured to medical students at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital.

Du Verney corrected beliefs that the Eustachian tube was an avenue for breathing or hearing by showing it was a channel through which air is renewed to the tympanic cavity. He explained the mechanism of bone conduction and gave an accurate account of the bony labyrinth. He greatly advanced knowledge in the physiology of hearing with his theory of hearing and communication. His theories helped inform the work of the 19th-century biophysicist and inventor Herman Ludwig Ferdinand Von Helmholtz, who was the first to measure the speed of a nerve impulse.

Prior to this book joining the John Martin Rare Book Room, it circulated in the main collection as part of the Hardin Library. During its time in the Hardin Collection, the book was heavily used and at some point, one illustration "went missing." When paging through the book, one will notice a photocopied page was inserted to replace the missing illustration. More than likely, library staff realized the illustration was missing and contacted another institution to request a photocopy from their copy of the text.

For more, contact John Martin Rare Book Room

[yesgermany-manish]

Why Consider a Masters Degree in Germany? Exploring the Benefits and Opportunities

Germany is one of the most popular destinations for international students who want to pursue a masters degree. According to the latest statistics, more than 300,000 foreign students were enrolled in German universities in 2020, making up 13.5% of the total student population. But what makes Germany so attractive for higher education? Here are some of the main reasons why you should consider a masters degree in Germany.

High Quality Education

Germany is known for its excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as humanities, arts, and social sciences. German universities offer a wide range of masters programs, from traditional disciplines to interdisciplinary and innovative ones. Many of these programs are taught in English, making them accessible to international students. Moreover, German universities have a strong reputation in the global academic community, with 44 institutions ranked among the top 500 in the world.

Affordable Costs

One of the biggest advantages of studying in Germany is the low cost of tuition. In most public universities, there is no tuition fee for both domestic and international students, except for a small administrative fee per semester. Even in private universities, the tuition fee is usually much lower than in other countries, such as the UK, the US, or Australia. Additionally, the cost of living in Germany is relatively affordable, especially if you choose to live in a student dormitory or a shared apartment. You can also benefit from various discounts and subsidies for public transportation, cultural events, and health insurance.

Cultural Diversity

Germany is a multicultural and cosmopolitan country, with a rich history and culture. By studying in Germany, you can experience the German way of life, as well as learn about other cultures from your fellow students and professors. You can also enjoy the variety of cuisines, festivals, music, and art that Germany has to offer. Furthermore, you can take advantage of the opportunity to travel around Europe, as Germany is well-connected to other countries by train, bus, or plane.

Career Prospects

A masters degree from a German university can boost your career prospects, both in Germany and abroad. Germany has a strong economy, with many leading companies and industries, such as BMW, Siemens, SAP, and Bosch. As a graduate, you can benefit from the high demand for skilled workers, especially in STEM fields. You can also apply for a job seeker visa, which allows you to stay in Germany for up to 18 months after graduation to look for a suitable job. Alternatively, you can pursue a PhD or a research career in one of the many prestigious research institutes in Germany, such as the Max Planck Society, the Fraunhofer Society, or the Helmholtz Association.

How to Apply for a Masters Degree in Germany?

If you are interested in pursuing a masters degree in Germany, you will need to meet some requirements, such as:

Having a bachelor's degree or equivalent from a recognized university

Having a sufficient level of proficiency in the language of instruction (German or English)

Having a valid passport and a student visa (if required)

Having a proof of financial resources to cover your living expenses

Having a health insurance coverage

The application process may vary depending on the university and the program you choose, but generally, you will need to submit the following documents:

A completed application form

A copy of your academic transcripts and diplomas

A copy of your language test scores (such as TestDaF, DSH, TOEFL, or IELTS)

A motivation letter and a curriculum vitae

A copy of your passport and visa (if required)

A proof of financial resources and health insurance

The application deadlines may also differ depending on the university and the program, but usually, they are:

July 15 for the winter semester (starting in October)

January 15 for the summer semester (starting in April)

You can find more information about the application process and the available programs on the websites of the German universities or on the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) website.

How to Find the Best German Study Consultants?

If you need help with finding and applying for a masters degree in Germany, you can consult with professional german study consultants who can provide you with guidance and support throughout the process. Some of the services that german study consultants can offer are:

Helping you choose the right program and university for your goals and interests

Helping you prepare and submit your application documents

Helping you apply for a student visa and a residence permit

Helping you find accommodation and transportation in Germany

Helping you adjust to the academic and cultural environment in Germany

Helping you network with other students and professionals in Germany

However, not all german study consultants are reliable and trustworthy. You should be careful when choosing a german study consultant and avoid falling for scams or frauds. Here are some tips on how to find the best german study consultants:

Do your research and compare different german study consultants based on their reputation, experience, credentials, and reviews

Ask for references and testimonials from previous clients and verify their authenticity

Check if the german study consultants are registered and accredited by the relevant authorities, such as the DAAD, the German Embassy, or the Ministry of Education

Ask for a written contract and a clear breakdown of the fees and services that the german study consultants will provide

Avoid paying any upfront fees or deposits before receiving any service or confirmation from the german study consultants

Avoid any german study consultants who make unrealistic or false promises, such as guaranteed admission, scholarships, or jobs

Conclusion

A master's degree in Germany can be a rewarding and beneficial experience for your personal and professional development. Germany offers high quality education, affordable costs, cultural diversity, and career prospects for international students. However, applying for a masters degree in Germany can be a challenging and complex process, which requires careful planning and preparation. If you need assistance and guidance, you can seek help from reputable and professional german study consultants who can help you achieve your academic goals and dreams.

[bumblebeeappletree]

The ice in the arctic is melting, revealing huge amounts of fossil fuels, rare earths and new shipping routes. And the rush to secure these has already begun. Will countries continue their race for economic and militaristic advantages or will they finally work together to solve the global problem of climate change?

Credits

Reporter: Monika Sax

Video Editor: Markus Mörtz

Supervising Editor: Joanna Gottschalk, Kiyo Dörrer & Michael Trobridge

We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our channel explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.

#PlanetA #Arctic #FossilFuels

Special thanks (for research support and background information):

The Arctic Council: https://www.arctic-council.org/

GRID-Arendal: https://www.grida.no/

Malte Humpert, The Arctic Institute: https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/

Dr. Nina Döring, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V. (IASS): https://www.iass-potsdam.de/de

Andreas Østhagen, Fridtjof Nansen Institute: https://www.fni.no/

Elena Tracy, Arctic Programme, WWF: https://www.arcticwwf.org/

Dr. Sanna Kopra, The Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law Arctic Centre, University of Lapland & The Arctic Institute | Center for Circumpolar Security Studies: https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/ex...

Dr. Volker Rachold, Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung: https://www.arctic-office.de/

Dr. Michael Paul, SWP Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, German Institute for International and Security Affairs: https://www.swp-berlin.org/

Read more:

Status of offshore oil and gas activities and regulatory frameworks in the Arctic (May 2021): https://pame.is/document-library/pame...

Various arctic fact sheets: https://www.arctic-office.de/en/publi...

Impact of Arctic Change: https://arcticrisk.org/latest-data/

Information about arctic peoples, biodiversity, climate, ocean, pollutants, emergencies: https://www.arctic-council.org/resour...

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:28 The run to the melting Arctic has begun

02:44 Why the Arctic is so important

04:13 Political leaders and their plans

05:55 Arctic players today – where are they?

06:57 How scientific guess became fact

07:34 The people & habitat of the Arctic

09:00 Effects of traffic in the Arctic

10:52 Introducing the Arctic Council

11:17 Conclusion

[academiceurope]

Job - Alert 🎓

🚀 Join Our Team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden‑Rossendorf (HZDR),

"... with over 1,500 experts from 70+ nations, we tackle today’s biggest challenges in ENERGY, HEALTH, and MATTER. Two of our institutes are leading the way in resource innovation and safety research!! " 🌍

We are looking for a PhD Student (f/m/d) in Microstructure Modelling and Upscaling to join our vibrant research community. If you have a strong background in applied mathematics and a passion for interdisciplinary collaboration, we want to hear from you!

📅 Start Date: February 1, 2025

📝 Application Deadline: November 28, 2024

Find out more about this exciting opportunity and apply at https://www.academiceurope.com/job/?id=5854

Diversity fuels innovation—join us! 🌟

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Chemical cocktail from plastics: Pilot study describes degradation and leaching process of plastic consumer products

Plastic waste in rivers and oceans is constantly releasing chemicals into the water. Until now, it was unknown how large these quantities are and which substances are released particularly strongly. In the large-scale P-LEACH project, experts from four research institutes of the Helmholtz Association have now analyzed the composition and concentrations of many different substances. The main focus was on the question of how the sun's UV radiation increases the release of chemicals. Hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic waste are floating in rivers and oceans. The impact of waves, the sun's UV radiation and salty seawater cause the plastic to gradually break down into smaller and smaller fragments and ultimately float in the oceans as tiny microplastic particles. In numerous studies, researchers have investigated the extent to which marine animals ingest these particles and whether they become ill from them. Far less well researched to date is how the ingredients of various plastic products—including additives such as heavy metals, flame retardants, plasticizers, dyes and many other ingredients, that give plastic its versatile properties—affect marine life.

Read more.