☕ Tiny particles

Should you be worried about microplastics? Presented by [Boka]( [June 16, 2024]( | [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Dad and his son] Happy Father's Day! Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images  BROWSING  [Classifieds banner image]( The wackiest headlines from the week as they would appear in a Classifieds section. Careers BAND—USED TO CORNY JOKES: Seth Meyers’s 8G band, led by Fred Armisen, will be [laid off]( after accompanying the show for 11 seasons. NBC will try to replace the live music element of the show with a karaoke machine. WFH SURGEON: Nearly 5,000 miles from the operating table, a Chinese doctor [performed surgery]( and removed a lesion from a patient’s prostate via a four-armed robot and a really good internet connection. DRONE WRANGLER: The growing number of low-flying drones, especially around Australia, could [upset whale migration]( experts say. Make ’em air krill, Shamu. Personal ALTERNATIVE TO STEALING: You can [buy]( limited drops of certain commemorative street signs through the New York City Department of Transportation. At $75 a sign, we are a long way from filling the funding gap that nixing congestion pricing left. SOMETHING IN THE WATER: Illegal and pharmaceutical drug pollution is having disastrous effects on river-dwelling wildlife. Brown trout have been reportedly [getting addicted to methamphetamines]( and European perch are becoming less afraid of predators due to ingesting drugs meant for human depression. For sale WORLD’S TALLEST BIKE: Two French friends [built a bike]( that measures 25 feet and five inches tall, beating the previous record by just over a foot. Now comes the challenge of picking one lucky Tour de France rider. POCKETLESS SHIRTS: Breast pockets on men’s dress shirts have been slowly [disappearing](. Nearly 40% of Brooks Brothers’s dress shirts now come without the worst place to keep your phone.—MM  PRESENTED BY BOKA White teeth without the pain [Boka]( Wanna whiten your teeth without all the harsh chemicals that make them hurt? Look no further than [Boka’s new whitening toothpaste](. This pain-free toothpaste brightens and whitens your teeth gently [in just seven days](. And right now, you can score 15% off your one-time order or subscription on Amazon. Boka is made for sensitive teeth. They ditched painful peroxide to use better, nontoxic ingredients like: - nano-hydroxyapatite to promote healthy enamel, restore teeth to their natural whiteness, and support a healthy microbiome - coconut oil to brighten, moisturize, and soothe the gums and mouth - baking soda to dissolve surface stains Sensitive teeth are no sweat for Boka. [Get 15% off]( all Boka toothpaste on Amazon with code WHITENING15.  SNAPSHOTS  [Photo of the week](#) [Jimmy Fallon and the pope]Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images More than 100 of the world’s funniest comedians and Jimmy Fallon were given an [audience]( with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday before the pontiff departed for the G7 summit in Apulia, Italy. “In the midst of so much gloomy news, you denounce abuses of power…you point out inappropriate behavior,” said the pope, who has been accused of using a homophobic slur as recently as Tuesday. The event, which also included Stephen Colbert, Chris Rock, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, was part of an initiative from the church to “establish a link” with humorists from around the world. More than two-thirds of the invitees were Italian, yet somehow Sebastian Maniscalco didn’t make the cut.—DL  SCIENCE  [Dept. of Progress](#) [Dexter from Dexter's lab saying ]Dexter’s Laboratory/Warner Bros. Domestic Television via Giphy Here are some illuminating scientific discoveries from the week to help you live better and maybe even spend less time urinating painfully in the near future. A popular belief about Mayan sacrifices may be wrong. A new archeological discovery is upending the widely held notion that young women and girls accounted for most of the human sacrifices that took place centuries ago in the ancient city of Chichén Itzá. Researchers analyzed 64 sets of remains from one of the area’s burial sites and found for the first time that all of them were males. Two pairs were identical twins, and a quarter of them were [close relatives]( which the team linked to a sacred Mayan myth about the sacrifice of young relatives. All this suggests that biological relation was a factor in whom the Mayans chose for sacrificial ceremonies, researchers said. Prize-winning invention could make UTI treatment a breeze. Scientists just got ~$10 million to continue developing a shoebox-sized machine that can detect urinary tract bacterial infection in just 15 minutes—and pinpoint the [right antibiotic]( for the job within another half hour. The current diagnostic process typically takes two or three painful days. Doctors often diagnose based on apparent symptoms, which can lead to prescribing the wrong medication (up to half of UTI bacteria are resistant to one or more antibiotics). More than half of women and around one-tenth of men will get at least one UTI in their lifetime, and taking the wrong medicine can drive antibiotic resistance, making it harder to treat future infections. Plant foods are only healthy when they’re not ultraprocessed. Sorry to anyone who thought they were stepping up their wellness game by simply cutting out meat—your new diet isn’t doing much if there are still a bunch of preservatives in it. Whether it’s an imitation burger, fruit juice, cereals, or anything else that may be technically vegetarian, scientists found that consuming ultraprocessed foods is linked with a [higher chance]( of fatal heart disease, while eating whole (non-ultraprocessed) plant-based foods is linked with a 20% lower chance of dying from heart ailments.—ML  SPONSORED BY APPLE CARD [Apple Card]( Pay it forward. You budget and you’re mindful of your spending habits. Wanna keep the smart spending strategies going this summer? The weather may be flamin’ hot, but your receipts don’t have to be. [Read our article]( about [summer spending]( and how your budget can succeed this season and beyond.  NEWS ANALYSIS  [How worried should you be about microplastics?]( [Microplastics]( Hristov/Getty Images From the highest peaks of the Himalayas to [human testicles]( microplastics are everywhere. And scientists are increasingly concerned about the tiny plastic particles that have spread to the most remote reaches of the planet and our bodies. Everything from food containers to clothes now contains plastic, and tiny fragments break away from these items through regular wear and tear and after they’re discarded. Other products are intentionally made with microplastics, like the tiny beads in toothpaste or exfoliant creams. The microplastics end up in oceans, the air, and our food and water supplies. - People inhale and ingest up to [113,743]( of the invisible particles annually, according to one study, with some products like fish, bottled water, and salt known to be particularly common delivery vessels into our bodies. - As a result, microplastics have been found in human blood, the gastrointestinal tract, the liver, the lungs, and other vital organs. While the health effects of microplastic aren’t fully understood, there’s some evidence that they can be harmful. So, let’s train a microscope on the tiny particles to get a sense of just how big of an issue they are—and how to deal with them. What does science say? There’s evidence that microplastic contamination could harm marine environments and might make soil on dry land less fertile by reducing the organisms that live in it. When it comes to human health, scientists are most concerned about plastic nanoparticles, which are small enough to weasel past barriers to enter cells, and, potentially, the brain. Since plastic takes way longer than a human lifespan to degrade, the tiny pieces can accumulate in our bodies. It doesn’t take a PhD in toxicology to know that’s bad. Plastics contain a cornucopia of toxic chemicals, including substances like flame retardants, which don’t belong inside human organs. But scientists are still working on understanding how this affects us. - Associations have been found between microplastics and health issues in mice, like intestinal inflammation and some cognitive decline. - A study of people who were undergoing a procedure to reduce stroke risk revealed that those with microplastics in a main artery had an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. - Human semen samples contained microplastics in multiple studies, and some researchers are wondering whether they’re the culprit behind declining sperm counts that have been impacting male fertility around the world. However, experts note there’s insufficient evidence to confidently blame microplastics for causing health issues. They claim that more research is needed to tease out the effects of microplastics from all the other factors that affect wellbeing, like people’s socioeconomic status and the various substances we’re exposed to besides plastic. Plus, there’s no certainty about the volume of microplastics entering our bodies. While some studies suggest that it’s a credit card’s worth of microplastics a week or the equivalent of 50 plastic bags per year on average, some researchers [say these]( are overestimations by several orders of magnitude. What can you do? Avoiding exposure to plastic is almost as difficult as not running into a relative at your wedding, but there are some [precautions]( experts say you can take to minimize contact with microplastics, including: - Replacing plastic containers, kitchen utensils, and water bottles with glass products, as well as avoiding microwaving food in plastic. - Eating less processed foods that are more likely to come into contact with plastic during the production process. - Buying fewer plastic items and keeping the ones you own out of direct sunlight, as plastic tends to degrade in heat. - Vacuuming and ventilating your living space more frequently to reduce microplastics in the air. Governments are taking action…the European Commission recently made it illegal in the EU to intentionally infuse products with microplastics, like nonbiodegradable glitter. Meanwhile, UN member countries are working on an international treaty to reduce plastic pollution. They hope to finalize the agreement by the end of the year.—SK  BREW'S BEST  # [Recs] Do you have a recommendation you want to share with Brew readers? Submit your best rec [here]( and it may be featured in next week’s list. Cook: Music producer Benny Blanco’s [new cookbook]( is as full of funny stories as it is recipes. Buy: Spending time outside? Get yourself a small [portable fan](. Read: A historical fiction [novel]( set during the Sri Lankan Civil War that just won the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Drink: Clean and crisp basil gimlets are the perfect [summer bev](. Watch: An HBO docuseries that’s like if Succession were set at a [Renaissance Festival](. Nerd out: Financial visualizations never looked [so good](. Thanks to Ben from Dublin, OH, for the suggestion. Investing news, Brew style: Make sense of market news and trends shaping the investing landscape with our latest newsletter, Brew Markets. [Subscribe now](. The de-aging biz: Time to pull back the hospital curtain and see who’s behind [the booming longevity market](. This article, sponsored by Timeline, lays out [who’s making $$$]( on reverse aging.* *A message from our sponsor.  DESTINATIONS  [Place to be: Chick-fil-A summer camp](#) [A Chick-fil-A restaurant is seen on July 05, 2022]Brandon Bell/Getty Images It’s a big world out there. In this section, we’ll teleport you to an interesting location—and hopefully give you travel ideas in the process. The children yearn for the Chick-fil-A mines. A store in Hammond, Louisiana, is offering a “[summer camp]( where up to 30 kids ages five to 12 will learn the chicken sandwich business at a cost to their parents of $35 each. The package will teach customer service skills and offer a chance to meet the Chick-fil-A cow. While there was blowback to the concept of elementary school children working a deep fryer, they won’t be doing any of the cooking. Employees will act as counselors, giving a kitchen tour and showing the kids how to bag an order. The program is so popular that the initial three sessions of the service-industry fantasy camp in July were expanded to six. It’s understandable why parents would be excited about the idea. - The three-hour session comes with a t-shirt and a meal, making it a bargain compared to what babysitters can charge. - It’s less expensive than travel sports, and the child will not be booed by an overzealous dad who thinks his kid should get more time bagging orders than your kid. This actually isn’t new. A Chick-fil-A in Houston [initiated]( the program six years ago and has run it there annually. A representative of that restaurant said it sold out this year within seven minutes of opening registration.—DL  COMMUNITY  [Crowd work](#) Two Sundays ago, we asked: What was your high-school prank? Here are our favorite responses: - “We changed autocorrect in Microsoft Word to correct the word ‘September’ to ‘Class of 2003 rules!’ on every computer we could get our hands on in the building. It wasn’t much, but we figured it wouldn’t be found until the following fall semester.”—Tom from New York - “At high school graduation, each senior gave our principal a marble as we shook his hand. We only gave him a jar to hold them when his pants pockets were too full to hold anymore.”—Kristen from Eldersburg, MD - “There’s apparently a ‘law’ in Montana that if a student rides a horse to school the admins/principal has to care for and feed them throughout the day. Many kids were riding their horses to school on the last day. Luckily the principal was cool about it and actually did take care of them, even though the law is unconfirmed.”—Anonymous - “Some of our classmates had horse farms. We spelled out our school’s initials in manure spread on a hill visible from our rival school’s football field before the big game. Bonus: It killed the underlying grass, so was visible all winter. Extra bonus: The next spring, the grass there was greener than the surrounding, and you could still see the initials.”—Ed from Knoxville, TN This week’s question What’s an inexpensive travel item that has changed your life? Matty’s response to get the juices flowing: “I bought a big men’s vintage button-down for $15 and it’s become my flying jacket. It has two breast pockets with so much room, I can put my ID in one pocket and phone in the other while I go through TSA and don’t have to worry about anything falling out of my pocket.” [Share your response here](.  SHARE THE BREW  # [Share Morning Brew]( with your friends, acquire free Brew swag, and then acquire more friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag. We’re saying we’ll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. 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