Plastic Content

7 Inspiring Climate Change Solutions

Katherine E Kerlin — April 22, 2024 - 9:06am

Plastic made from cheese whey? Growing food with pistachio shells? Wildfire-proof housing? Seven inspiring �ٺ��Ƶ research projects seek climate solutions for California and beyond.

Sea Lion Rescued From Deadly Plastic Entanglement

Katherine E Kerlin — November 18, 2022 - 2:27pm

Dramatic footage of a rescue mission with �ٺ��Ƶ' SeaDoc Society to save a Steller sea lion entangled in plastic.

The Plastisphere, Marine Snow and Ocean Plastics

Katherine E Kerlin — May 19, 2022 - 12:34pm

A mini-explainer on "The Plastisphere" and "marine snow."

Pathogens Can Hitch a Ride on Plastic to Reach the Sea

Katherine E Kerlin — April 26, 2022 - 8:00am

Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the ocean, with likely consequences for human and wildlife health. A �ٺ��Ƶ study is the first to connect microplastics in the ocean with land-based pathogens that carry diseases.

Plastic ‘Pool’ Toy Pollution in the Wild

Katherine E Kerlin — July 29, 2021 - 8:30am

A new trend of pool toys containing glitter and microbeads is complicating the already pervasive environmental problem of microplastic pollution.

Plastic Found in Southern Right Whale in Argentina

Katherine E Kerlin — October 22, 2020 - 8:00pm

Scientists found plastic debris in the digestive tract of a southern right whale stranded in Argentina, according to a study from the Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program, co-led by the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine; and Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas in Argentina.

The study, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, is the first finding of macroplastic debris recorded in this species.

�ٺ��Ƶ Well on Its Way to Meeting UC-Wide Single-Use Plastics Ban

Cody Kitaura — August 25, 2020 - 10:30am

The University of California is phasing out single-use plastics, and �ٺ��Ƶ is already ahead of the curve.

Starting in January and continuing through 2023, all UC campuses and medical centers will phase out various kinds of plastic, from single-use bags to plastic beverage bottles.

Microplastics: Not Just an Ocean Problem

Katherine E Kerlin — August 07, 2019 - 5:15am

From the infamous “garbage patch” islands of floating plastic to the guts of fish and bellies of birds, plastics of all sizes are ubiquitous and well-documented in the ocean. But little data exists on microplastics in lakes.

Why Do Seabirds Eat Plastic? The Answer Stinks

Katherine E Kerlin — November 09, 2016 - 10:20am

We know plastic in the ocean is a problem. But why do seabirds eat marine plastic in the first place? A �ٺ��Ƶ study found that marine plastic debris emits the scent of a sulfurous compound that some seabirds have relied upon for thousands of years to tell them where to find food. This olfactory cue essentially tricks the birds into confusing marine plastic with food.

Plastic for Dinner: A Quarter of Fish Sold at Markets Contain Human-Made Debris

IET WebDev — September 24, 2015 - 9:05am

Roughly a quarter of the fish sampled from fish markets in California and Indonesia contained human-made debris — plastic or fibrous material — in their guts, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, and Hasanuddin University in Indonesia.

The study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, is one of the first to directly link plastic and human-made debris to the fish on consumers’ dinner plates.