"A prominent scientist criticized microplastics research methods. Others are defending the work."
"Over the past year, scientists have searched brain tissue, arteries and even joints for the presence of microplastics. The tiny particles, they have found, are ubiquitous in the human body — littering testicles, placentas, blood and the brain.
Or are they? Earlier this week, a researcher in Germany, Dusan Materic, questioned the science of microplastics in the body in a lengthy article in the Guardian, arguing that “more than half of the very high impact papers” in the field have serious doubts associated with them.
Many scientists quickly responded, saying that there is no doubt that the tiny particles are entering human bodies. But Materic’s comments underscored how there are still questions about how much plastic is accumulating in human organs — largely due to critiques of one particular method of analysis."
Shannon Osaka reports for the New York Times January 17, 2026.
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