See where and how many microplastics are in the average human body

Microplastics are infiltrating the human body with unclear but concerning effects

Scientists have linked microplastics to immune system damage, hormone disruption, inflammatory diseases, and even cancer—yet most of their health impacts remain unknown due to limited research. Studies suggest we ingest about a credit card's worth of plastic weekly.

Microplastics 101: What we know about the contaminants invading our bodies

Fifty-one trillion particles of microplastics float in our oceans. Yet there is very little science of how this affects our health. This quick 2-minute video explains the dangers of microplastics.

Microplastics are entering human food chains through fertilized farmland

Microplastics from sewage sludge used as fertilizer contaminate agricultural soil and eventually enter our bodies through the food supply of carrots, wheat, and other foodstuffs. In Europe, farmland may absorb up to 710 trillion microplastic particles yearly.

From soil to beer, microplastic pollution is all around us

Marine plastic pollution has been studied for decades, but the extent and effects of plastic pollution elsewhere is only just beginning to be explored.

The FDA claims microplastics have not yet been shown to pose a health risk

Although microplastics and nanoplastics are found in many foods and environments, their presence does not violate regulations. Additionally, as of 2025, the administration believes evidence does not confirm that detected levels harm humans.

The challenges of trying to study microplastics in microplastic-abundant labs

The presence of microplastics in instruments, surfaces, and air has made accurate measurement of their levels in lab samples difficult, given the high likelihood of contamination. While the use of stainless steel tools in a sealed, clean lab may reduce accidental exposure, existing methods can misidentify biological substances, such as fat, as plastics, further complicating research.

The amount of plastic chemicals in 300 everyday Bay Area foods

Food production is more complicated than it appears, and manufacturing, packaging, and shipping processes can add significant substances to your food. This massive project compiled data on 300 samples of foods delivered to the San Francisco area, testing for the presence of 18 different kind of plastic. Learn how to read the data here with its helpful guides and then explore the table yourself.

Track where your plastic trash will be in 20 years

This map illustrates the fate of floating plastic 20 years from now. Simply add a location of choice and see the journey unfold.

A look at the concentrations of water in the human body and various organs

When we're born, about three-quarters of our bodies are composed of water, dropping to an average of 55-60% for the average adult. The lungs are over 80% water, the kidneys and spleen about 80%, and the heart and brain are approximately three-quarters composed of water—about the same moisture as a banana.

Explore human anatomy with these beautiful images

The Human Organ Atlas offers detailed 3D images of dozens of human organs. It was created with very bright X-rays from a particle accelerator, which is formally called a synchroton imaging method.

How humans digest food

Every day, the average human eats close to six pounds of food—all of which must be processed by the digestive system. Ten organs collaborate to transform food that the mouth chews into the energy needed to stay alive. (Stretched out, these organs...

Take a 360-degree look at biochemical activity from within a human cell

In this tour, users can observe the dynamic processes that occur within the basic units of the human body, including the production and transport of proteins and the assembly and disassembly of microtubules—thin, cylindrical structures that provide structural support and a means of moving material within the cell.

How stress affects every organ in the body

If you are a visual learner, this resource is for you. Not only does this article from the World Economic Forum outline the causes of modern stress along with helpful strategies, but they have created an approachable infographic to show exactly how stress manifests throughout our different bodily systems. Pair this visual guide with our other resources to gain a deep knowledge of stress and the human body.

A map of every object in our solar system

The infographic from 2020 illustrates the complexity of our solar system, mapping over 18,000 objects including asteroids, comets, planets, and moons. Created by biologist Eleanor Lutz using data from NASA, it shows the non-linear distribution of objects due to the sun's gravitational pull. Objects nearer to the sun are more numerous, forming tighter orbits, while those farther out are fewer and more widely spaced.

How do brain scans work?

There’s only one thing in our solar system sophisticated enough to study itself: the human brain. But this self-investigation is challenging because a living brain is shielded by skull, swaddled in tissue, and made up of billions of tiny cells. How do we study living brains without harming their owners? Two experts explain how the various techniques like EEGs, fMRIs, and PETs work in this TedEd talk.

A deep dive into how a body decomposes

Dead bodies are, understandably, scary and unsettling. Learn about the fascinating process of decomposition that takes place in every human, and how its teeming with life.

How to maintain a healthy gut

Approximately 40 trillion microbes reside in the human gut, forming a unique microbiome, containing hundreds of millions of neurons in what is often called a "mini-brain". A healthy gut is characterized by an effective mucus-lined barrier that prevents unwanted substances from entering the bloodstream. So how do you attain such an ideal gut? This guide outlines a healthy approach to protecting your gut.

Taste buds are found throughout the body, with different biological functions

As biological structures, taste receptors take in molecules, analyze them, and send signals to the brain letting us know what they've found. This functionality makes them useful throughout the body, most notably in the gut where receptors act as glucose sensors.

Explore how the placenta acts as lungs, kidneys, and more in the womb

This temporary organ, formed from maternal and embryonic tissue, ultimately attaches to a fetus via the umbilical cord. It transports nutrients, oxygen, antibodies, and more from the mother to the developing fetus. It also carries carbon dioxide and waste away from the fetus. The placenta—which forms only during pregnancy—is expelled during childbirth, or it needs to be removed to prevent toxic maternal infections and extreme blood loss.

How does cancer spread through the body?

Cancer usually begins with one tumor, but it can spread to other organs if not removed. This video breaks down how cancer moves to these new areas and why some organs are more likely to get infected than others.

Scientists determine the smells of objects in outer space

Using spectrographic techniques, scientists determine the chemical composition of planetary atmospheres, comets, and other objects in space. Combining these chemicals in labs on Earth has revealed locations in space that smell like nail polish remover, rotten fish, and urine.

Where are humans on the evolutionary tree?

This interactive tree-shaped map explores the evolutionary connections between more than two million species. According to this map, humans are on the same branch as great apes, tarsiers, and treeshrews. That branch then splits into even smaller branches, with humans appearing on the same twig-like branch as chimpanzees and bonobos.

See different pig-to-human xenotransplantation possibilities

Xenotransplantation can include the insertion of any organ, tissue, cells or fluids from any nonhuman animal into a human. This US Food and Drug Administration graphic about pig-to-human applications shows different possibilities, including the exploration of using pig pancreatic cells for treating diabetes.

See the geographic spread and incidence of malaria

This graphic shows the estimated global burden of malaria in 2025 as new cases per 1000 people at risk.

Explore an interactive map showing what makes people happy

Using 10,000 responses collected from people around the world about what makes them happy, this map offers insights into how relationships, finances, purpose, and small treats all contribute to a person's contentment. Recent data suggests that young people today are less happy than those in previous generations, indicating a need to reflect on what really matters in life.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

Explore the animals that populate the depths of the ocean, from fish and coral in the first few hundred feet, all the way down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

The syncytiotrophoblast is the outer layer of the placenta and the largest human cell, spanning an area about twice that of a king-sized bedsheet.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Tattoos remain visible on your skin thanks to immune cells called macrophages

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

Watch how viruses like Ebola can spill over from animals to humans—and vice-versa.

Apollo astronauts left items in the moon's 'toss zone,' including golf balls, family photos, and bags of human waste, to make room for lunar rocks.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

Planarian flatworms are small, aquatic worms with exceptional regenerative capabilities. When cut, the worms can regenerate multiple bodies in a matter of weeks.

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

Track the location of the Voyager probes, currently between 13 and 15 billion miles away from Earth.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

In 1963, a basement renovation in Turkey revealed a passageway to a hidden, multilevel underground city that once housed as many as 20,000 people

SpaceX's S-1 or 'prospectus' revealed many previously unknown details about the company, including its unprofitability despite doing $18.7B in revenue in 2025, exactly how many voting shares Elon Musk will have in the company (roughly 85%), and more.