Sunlight turns everyday fabrics into ocean microfibers, new study finds

Researchers uncover how sunlight and seawater transform synthetic textiles into microplastic pollution

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University

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Polyethylene terephthalate microfiber release from textiles in coastal seawater ecosystems under sunlight-driven photochemical transformation

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Credit: Rouzheng Chen, Xiaoli Zhao, Xiaowei Wu, Xia Wang, Junyu Wang & Weigang Liang

A new study has revealed that sunlight can transform common synthetic fabrics into tiny plastic fibers that pollute coastal oceans. The findings shed light on how clothing and household textiles contribute to the growing problem of microplastic pollution in marine environments.

Scientists from the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences and Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology examined how different colored polyester fabrics break down when exposed to sunlight in seawater. They discovered that long-term exposure to ultraviolet light can convert polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a widely used textile fiber, into thousands of microscopic fragments.

After 12 days of laboratory sunlight exposure, just 0.1 grams of purple fabric released about 47,400 microfiber fragments. Green, yellow, and blue fabrics released fewer particles, at 37,020, 23,250, and 14,400 respectively. The researchers estimate that this accelerated test represents roughly one year of natural sunlight exposure in coastal waters.

“Sunlight acts as a slow but powerful scissor,” said co-corresponding author Dr. Xiaoli Zhao. “Our results show that the colors and dyes used in fabrics can influence how quickly they degrade and release microfibers into the ocean.”

The study found that darker colors, particularly purple, degraded faster because their dyes absorbed more sunlight energy and produced higher levels of reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals. These highly reactive molecules accelerate the breakdown of plastic chains, causing fibers to weaken and shed. Purple PET fibers generated about 6.2 × 10⁻¹⁵ molar hydroxyl radicals, more than those from green, blue, or yellow fibers.

The microscopic damage caused by this photoaging process was confirmed using advanced imaging techniques, showing cracks, rough surfaces, and separated threads on the fabrics. Over time, these weakened threads can fragment into smaller microfibers, which can further degrade into even tinier particles.

Microfibers, which are thinner than a human hair, are one of the most common forms of microplastic found in oceans. They can be ingested by fish, shellfish, and plankton, entering the food chain and potentially affecting marine ecosystems and human health.

The researchers emphasize that understanding how microfibers form is crucial for reducing their environmental impact. “Our study highlights that textile color and dye chemistry are not just aesthetic choices,” said co-author Dr. Xiaowei Wu. “They can directly affect how much microplastic ends up in the ocean.”

The team suggests that textile manufacturers consider the light-absorbing properties of dyes when designing fabrics, as choosing colors and pigments with lower sunlight absorption could help slow down microfiber generation. Further studies will explore how additional factors such as biofouling, ocean currents, and fabric composition affect the environmental fate of microfibers.

 

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Journal reference: Chen R, Zhao X, Wu X, Wang X, Wang J, et al. 2025. Polyethylene terephthalate microfiber release from textiles in coastal seawater ecosystems under sunlight-driven photochemical transformation. New Contaminants 1: e007   https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/newcontam-0025-0001  

 

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About the Journal:

New Contaminants is an open-access journal focusing on research related to emerging pollutants and their remediation.

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DOI

10.48130/newcontam-0025-0001 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Polyethylene terephthalate microfiber release from textiles in coastal seawater ecosystems under sunlight-driven photochemical transformation

 UK

The NHS is reaching a crisis point in consultant recruitment, new report warns

1 in 3 consultant jobs unfilled in some parts of the NHS, data shows £674m spent on locums in 2024/5 with negative effects on staff morale and patient care

BMJ Group

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The NHS is reaching a crisis point in consultant recruitment as 1 in 3 consultant posts lie vacant in some parts of the UK and recruiting managers regularly wait over 12 months to secure a candidate, leading to increased locum costs, finds a new report published by BMJ Careers today.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that these shortages are costing the health service upwards of £674m on locum consultants and are negatively affecting staff morale and patient care. Relying on expensive agency staff also risks derailing work to cut waiting lists. 

One resident doctor at a north London trust said: “It’s a complete nightmare – the doctors who are left working have to work at 150%, patients have to wait longer to be seen, and by the end of the shift doctors are running on fumes.”

Phil Johnson, Director of BMJ Careers, says: “The word ‘crisis’ can be overused, but at a time when activity is increasing, the new Labour government is pledging to “eliminate” agency spending and slash international recruitment at the same time, it is time to acknowledge a tipping point has been reached.”

Analysis by BMJ Careers found that nearly 33,000 consultant jobs were listed on the NHS Jobs website between 2022 and 2025 in England and Wales - enough to staff more than 66 large hospitals. Over a third of those vacancies were in Greater London and the South East and a quarter were for psychiatry positions. Other in-demand specialties were surgery, paediatrics and radiology.

BMA consultants committee co-chairs Dr Shanu Datta and Dr Helen Neary said these data counter the government’s narrative that the NHS has more doctors than ever. “Simply put - we do not have enough consultants to meet the needs of patients or run services to the standard they should be.”

Today’s report also sheds new light on how consultants feel about job-seeking. A BMJ Careers survey of 107 consultants, carried out earlier this year to inform the report, found very few (4%) are actively looking for work, but a substantial minority (47%) were open to changing jobs, despite not ‘actively looking.’ 

Of those who are open to looking for work or actively looking, a substantial minority said they feel increasingly disillusioned with NHS working conditions and were interested in relocating outside the UK.

BMJ Careers also surveyed 116 recruiting managers about the challenges they face when recruiting consultants. Half said their need to recruit consultants will increase in the coming year but only 5% expect their budget to increase, while 61% said consultant vacancies were having a significant negative impact on waiting times and 54% on quality of care.

Meanwhile, over a quarter (27%) said they regularly or always have to source candidates from overseas to fill difficult consultant vacancies, and many spoke of measures put in place by their employer to control staffing costs.

The long term solution to the recruitment crisis is to restructure specialist training to create more homegrown consultants in shortage areas and remove bottlenecks, says the report. In the meantime, it outlines how recruiters can attract consultants, such as offering enhanced job plans and more flexible working to help them grow their career.

“To keep consultants working in the NHS, they must be valued, both financially and professionally,” add Dr Datta and Dr Neary. “Pay is part of this but providing more time to innovate and improve services for patients is also key.”

A spokesperson for NHS England told BMJ Careers: “While agency spend is at a record low with trusts on track to save £1 billion over two years, we want to go further still.” They added: “ .. we are working with the government on a 10 Year Health Workforce Plan which will detail the numbers of staff we need now and in the future.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Since 2006, the number of consultants has increased by 71% and now stands at over 6,200 Whole Time Equivalents.” They added: “We work directly with health boards to reduce the use of medical agency staff, encouraging alternative staffing options, as well as ensuring any locum use represents best value.”

A spokesperson for the Welsh Government commented: “The NHS in Wales now has more doctors than at any point in its history.” They added: “Spend on agency and locum medical and dental staff fell by approximately £16 million between 2023-24 and 2024-25, and we anticipate further reduction this year.”

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Article Title

Consultant doctors: Solutions for a medical recruitment crisis, BMJ Careers 2025

Article Publication Date

30-Oct-2025

 

International scientists issue State of the Climate Report, highlight mitigation strategies

American Institute of Biological Sciences

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 July 2025 Central Texas floods: Flooding of the Guadalupe River near Kerrville, Texas.

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Credit: USCG Heartland

A comprehensive new report published in the journal BioScience reveals that Earth's climate crisis is accelerating at an alarming rate, with 22 of 34 planetary vital signs now at record levels. The study, co-led by Dr. William J. Ripple of Oregon State University and Dr. Christopher Wolf of Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates, presents stark evidence that Earth is approaching climate chaos.

The vital signs tracked in the report represent key indicators of human activities and their associated climate responses, including energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and concentrations, global temperatures, ice sheet masses, ocean conditions, and extreme weather patterns. Together, these metrics provide a sweeping view of Earth's changing climate and its causes.

The report builds on a framework introduced by Ripple and colleagues in 2020, who “issued a declaration of a climate emergency that has garnered support from approximately 15,800 scientist signatories worldwide." The most recent data confirm that the planet experienced its hottest year on record in 2024, signaling what researchers call an "escalation of climate upheaval."

"So far, in 2025, atmospheric carbon dioxide is at a record level, likely worsened by a sudden drop in land carbon uptake partly due to El Niño and intense forest fires," the authors state. They caution that "a dangerous hothouse Earth trajectory may now be more likely due to accelerated warming, self-reinforcing feedbacks, and tipping points."

The report highlights cascading risks, including a potential collapse of the Atlantic Ocean meridional overturning circulation, which "could trigger abrupt and irreversible climate disruptions, including drastic shifts in regional weather patterns, intensified droughts and floods, and reduced agricultural productivity in key regions."

Despite the dire threats, the scientists emphasize that  "Climate change mitigation strategies are available, cost effective, and urgently needed. From forest protection and renewables to plant-rich diets, we can still limit warming if we act boldly and quickly," they write. Additional strategies highlighted include reducing food loss and waste—which accounts for roughly 8-10% of global emissions—and restoring degraded ecosystems such as wetlands, peatlands, and mangroves. The report notes that "the cost of mitigating climate change is likely far lower than the global economic damages that climate-related impacts could cause."

The authors stress the power of collective action, noting that even in the face of looming climatic tipping points, "social tipping points can drive rapid change. Even small, sustained nonviolent movements can shift public norms and policy, highlighting a vital path forward amid political gridlock and ecological crisis." Unlocking the power of human action will require continued public engagement, say the authors. Importantly, they note that "despite majorities in nearly every country supporting strong climate action, most individuals believe they are in the minority."

Ripple, Wolf, and colleagues close their report by emphasizing that climate change is fundamentally an issue of justice. "We are disproportionately harming the vulnerable and marginalized—those least responsible for the crisis," the authors note. Yet they maintain that these harms can still be ameliorated through urgent action. "The future is still being written" through choices in policy, investment, and collective action.

The full report is available in BioScience.

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Journal

BioScience

DOI

10.1093/biosci/biaf149 

Article Title

The 2025 state of the climate report: a planet on the brink

Article Publication Date

29-Oct-2025

 

New nanomedicine wipes out leukemia in animal study

By restructuring a common chemo drug, scientists boost its power by 20,000-fold

Northwestern University

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A microscopy image that shows SNAs (in red) taken up into leukemia cells. Cell nuclei shown in blue.

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Credit: Mirkin Research Group/Northwestern University

In a promising advance for cancer treatment, Northwestern University scientists have re-engineered the molecular structure of a common chemotherapy drug, making it dramatically more soluble and effective and less toxic. 

In the new study, the team designed a new drug from the ground up as a spherical nucleic acid (SNA) — a nanostructure that weaves the drug directly into DNA strands coating tiny spheres. This design converts a poorly soluble, weakly performing drug into a powerful, targeted cancer killer that leaves healthy cells unharmed. 

After developing the new therapy, the team tested it in a small animal model of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-moving, difficult-to-treat blood cancer. Compared to the standard chemotherapy drug, the SNA-based drug entered leukemia cells 12.5 times more efficiently, killed them up to 20,000 times more effectively and reduced cancer progression 59-fold — all without detectable side effects. 

This work is another example of the potential of structural nanomedicine, a new field in which scientists use precise structural, as well as compositional, control to fine-tune how nanomedicines interact with the human body. With seven SNA-based therapies currently in clinical trials, the new approach could lead to potent vaccines and treatments for cancers, infectious diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases. 

The study will be published tomorrow (Oct. 29) in the journal ACS Nano. 

“In animal models, we demonstrated that we can stop tumors in their tracks,” said Northwestern’s Chad A. Mirkin, who led the study. “If this translates to human patients, it’s a really exciting advance. It would mean more effective chemotherapy, better response rates and fewer side effects. That’s always the goal with any sort of cancer treatment.” 

A pioneer in chemistry and nanomedicine, Mirkin is the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering and Medicine at Northwestern, where he has appointments in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, McCormick School of Engineering and Feinberg School of Medicine. He also is the founding director of theInternational Institute for Nanotechnology and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. 

For the new study, Mirkin and his team focused on the traditional chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), which often fails to reach cancer cells efficiently. And, because it also attacks healthy tissue, 5-Fu causes myriad side effects, including nausea, fatigue and, in rare cases, even heart failure. 

According to Mirkin, the drug itself is not the problem — it’s how the body processes it. 5-Fu is poorly soluble, meaning less than 1% of it dissolves in many biological fluids. Most drugs need to dissolve in the bloodstream before they can travel through the body to enter cells. If a drug is poorly soluble, it clumps or retains a solid form, and the body cannot absorb it efficiently. 

“We all know that chemotherapy is often horribly toxic,” Mirkin said. “But a lot of people don’t realize it’s also often poorly soluble, so we have to find ways to transform it into water soluble forms and deliver it effectively.” 

To develop a more effective delivery system, Mirkin and his team turned to SNAs. Invented and developed by Mirkin at Northwestern, SNAs are globular nanostructures with a nanoparticle core surrounded by a dense shell of DNA or RNA. In previous studies, Mirkin discovered that cells recognize SNAs and invite them inside. In the new study, his team built new SNAs with the chemotherapy chemically incorporated into the DNA strands. 

“Most cells have scavenger receptors on their surfaces,” Mirkin said. “But myeloid cells overexpress these receptors, so there are even more of them. If they recognize a molecule, then they will pull it into the cell. Instead of having to force their way into cells, SNAs are naturally taken up by these receptors.” 

As Mirkin and his team suspected, the structural redesign completely changed how 5-Fu interacted with the cancer cells. Unlike with free-floating, unstructured chemotherapy molecules, the myeloid cells easily recognized and absorbed the SNA form. Once inside, enzymes broke down the DNA shell to release the drug molecules, which killed the cancer cell from within. 

In the mouse experiments, the therapy eliminated the leukemia cells to near completion in the blood and spleen and significantly extended survival. And, because the SNAs selectively targeted AML cells, healthy tissues remained unharmed. 

“Today’s chemotherapeutics kill everything they encounter,” Mirkin said. “So, they kill the cancer cells but also a lot of healthy cells. Our structural nanomedicine preferentially seeks out the myeloid cells. Instead of overwhelming the whole body with chemotherapy, it delivers a higher, more focused dose exactly where it’s needed.” 

Next, Mirkin’s team plans to test the new strategy in a larger cohort of small animal models, then move to a larger animal model and, eventually, in human clinical trials, once funding is secured. 

The study, “Chemotherapeutic spherical nucleic acids,” was supported by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. This work recently received additional support from the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

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Journal

ACS Nano

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Chemotherapeutic spherical nucleic acids

Article Publication Date

29-Oct-2025