Now do this put-the-text-back-together activity.
This is the text (if you need help).
Scientists have written extensively about the prevalence of microplastics and nanoplastics in the environment and in our bodies. Microplastics are larger than a micrometre (1 millionth of a metre), while nanoplastics are smaller than a micrometre. A new study has found that bacteria from the fermented Korean dish kimchi can help to expel nanoplastics from the body. Researchers at the World Institute of Kimchi in South Korea have discovered a microbe that can attach itself to nanoplastics in the gut. The foreign body is then safely expelled in our bodily waste. The plastic does not pass through the intestinal lining and accumulate in organs like the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver.
Nanoplastics are of increasing concern to the medical community. There are many unknown side effects of these tiny particles being in our organs. Current estimates suggest people take in up to 120,000 microscopic fragments every year. Newspapers often print stories about our body containing 7 grams of plastic, which is about the mass of a credit card. The Korean scientists believe their research might alleviate the accumulation of plastic in our bodies. Lead researcher Dr Se-hee Lee said: "Microorganisms derived from traditional fermented foods could represent a new biological approach to address this emerging challenge. We will continue to expand the scientific value of kimchi."
- Who has written about extensively about microplastics and nanoplastics?
- What size are nanoplastics?
- What is the name of the place the researchers are from?
- What thing in the gut attaches to nanoplastics?
- What organs are mentioned besides the brain and heart?
- Who is getting more worried about nanoplastics?
- How many side effects are there of nanoplastics in our body?
- How much microplastic might there be in our bodies?
- What is the mass of plastic in our bodies likened to?
- What will researchers continue to research the scientific value of?
Back to the kimchi and nanoplastics lesson.
