Food and drink litter dominates global plastic pollution
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Oct-2026 11:16 ET (29-Oct-2026 15:16 GMT/UTC)
New research led by the University of Plymouth (UK) brought together and evaluated more than 5,000 beach litter surveys to reveal the dominant items of marine litter across all seven continents, nine ocean systems, 13 regional seas and 112 nations, a combined area representing 86% of the global population.
Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU) and collaborating institutions have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) framework that maps disease-related changes throughout the entire mouse body at cellular resolution. Using the new platform, called MouseMapper, the researchers uncovered widespread inflammation and previously unrecognized damage to facial sensory nerves caused by obesity. Importantly, they also identified corresponding molecular signatures in human tissue, suggesting that key features of obesity-associated nerve damage are conserved across species. The findings are published today in the journal Nature.
Once only achievable in the far-fetched imaginations of science fiction writers, 3D printing has gone mainstream. Relatively inexpensive machines allow individuals to design and print everything from board games and desk accessories to replacement parts for household appliances and more. One of the biggest selling points is the ability to recycle a printed piece into something new, offering a potential pathway to more sustainable living. However, the highest quality 3D printing used to create extremely precise structures at the submicron scale — a method called stereolithography — uses process that involves photocuring resin by exposing the material to ultraviolet (UV) light. This irreversibly chemically changes the resin, making it impossible to recycle.
A new AI tool called Empirical Research Assistance (ERA) can automatically write high-performance scientific software and could significantly accelerate scientific discovery across many domains.
A University of Florida engineering professor says commercially available tools used to detect AI-generated text in scientific literature are ineffective.