A new study has found that seabird chicks are suffering from brain damage caused by ingesting plastic—despite appearing healthy on the outside. According to The Guardian, researchers from the University of Tasmania examined dozens of fledgling flesh-footed shearwaters from Lord Howe Island and found alarming results. While these chicks look outwardly fit, blood tests revealed […]
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A new study has found that seabird chicks are suffering from brain damage caused by ingesting plastic—despite appearing healthy on the outside. According to The Guardian, researchers from the University of Tasmania examined dozens of fledgling flesh-footed shearwaters from Lord Howe Island and found alarming results.
Whilethesechickslookoutwardlyfit,bloodtestsrevealedthatmanyhadbeenfedplasticfragmentsbytheirparents.Theplastic,mistakenforfood,accumulatesintheirstomachsandleadstointernalorgandamage—includingtotheliver,kidneys,andbrain.Thestudy,publishedinScienceAdvances,detectedpatternsofproteinsinthebirds’bloodthatcloselyresemblethosefoundinhumanssufferingfromAlzheimer’sandParkinson’sdiseas
