Simon Danaher
Given a choice between two sea snail shells, hermit crabs know which will make a better home. That is, unless their thinking has been muddled by ingesting microplastics. Then, they struggle with a decision that could be crucial for survival. They aren’t alone: across the animal kingdom, it appears, tiny bits of plastic change behaviours and mess up cognition. Exposure to these particles makes mice more forgetful and less social. Bees have trouble learning. Zebrafish act more anxious.
Such discoveries sound a warning bell for people, too. These so-called microplastic fragments are everywhere, from Arctic snow to the Amazon rainforest.…
