A sponge made of cotton and squid bone that has absorbed about 99.9% of microplastics in water samples in China could provide an elusive answer to ubiquitous microplastic pollution in water across the globe, a new report suggests.

Just as importantly, the filter’s production appears to be scalable, the University of Wuhan study authors said in the paper, which was peer-reviewed and published in the journal Science Advances. That would address a problem that has stymied the use of previous microplastic filtration systems that were successful in controlled settings, but could not be scaled up.

If it is successfully deployed on a larger scale in forthcoming research, the filter could change the course of one of the world’s most serious public health crises.

“Microplastic remediation in aquatic bodies is essential for the entire ecosystem, but is challenging to achieve with a universal and efficient strategy,” the study’ authors wrote in the paper.

    • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
      11·
      9 days ago

      Do Squid Have Bones?

      Squids are fascinating marine animals that belong to the class Cephalopoda. They are known for their unique body structure, which includes a soft mantle, eight arms, and two longer tentacles. But one question that often arises when discussing squids is whether or not they have bones.

      Unlike most vertebrates, squids are invertebrates, which means they do not have a backbone or any internal skeleton.

      However, they do have a hard structure called a pen or gladius, which is located inside their mantle. The pen is made of chitin, a tough and flexible material that also makes up the exoskeleton of other invertebrates like insects and crustaceans.

      The pen serves several purposes, including providing support for the squid’s mantle and acting as a site for muscle attachment.

      While it is not technically a bone, it serves a similar function and is often referred to as the squid’s “internal shell.” It is worth noting that not all cephalopods have a pen, and some species have evolved different structures to serve similar purposes. For example, the colossal squid has a unique “chitin shield” that covers its mantle.

      https://www.americanoceans.org/facts/do-squid-have-bones/