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Here the authors test the ability of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis to degrade the polyethylene from plastic waste in various aquatic environments. They determined that degradation can occur among all samples while it was the highest in fresh water and lowest in ocean water.

In this study, the authors investigate whether antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be found in everyday locations. To do this, they collected samples from multiple high-trafficked areas in Cambridge, MA and grew them in the presence and absence of antibiotics. Interestingly, they grew bacterial colonies from many locations' samples, but not all could grow in the presence of ampicillin. These findings are intriguing and relevant given the rising concern about antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotics are oftentimes used to treat mastitis (infection of the mammary gland) in dairy cows. Regulations require that milk from these cows be discarded until the infection has cleared and antibiotic residues are no longer detectable in the cow's milk. These regulations are in place to protect consumers and to help prevent the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In this study, the authors test milk samples from 10 milk suppliers in the Greensboro, NC to see if they contain detectable levels of antibiotic residues.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a bio-based, compostable plastic that is comparable in cost to petroleum-based plastics. This study aims to evaluate the effects of UV treatment and mechanical chopping on the degradation of PLA. Based on their findings, the authors propose an alternative PLA degradation process that may be more time and energy efficient than current processes.

The authors studied the effect of different substrates on mycelium biocomposites.

This study strongly illustrates that optimizing 3D printing parameters would enhance a triboelectric nanogenerator's performance. The design improvements substantiate the potential of optimized, 3D-printed TENGs for developing scalable, cost-effective solutions for powering low-energy electronics, particularly in applications such as structural health monitoring.

Here the authors propose integrating magnetic iron (II) oxide nanoparticles into the high-density polyethylene linings of disposable paper cups to create a waterproof, magnetically responsive composite liner. Their findings demonstrate that these nanoparticles successfully bond with the plastic layer without disrupting its structural integrity, offering a viable method to improve plastic recovery through magnetic recycling and mitigate global microplastic pollution.

The authors examined the relationships between S&P 500 Technology and Financials equity sectors and their corresponding investment-grade fixed-income markets from 1995 to 2025.

The authors test the effect of petroleum-based and bio-based microplastics on the growth of two microalgae species.

The authors visualized black holes and wormholes using code and ray-tracing programs.