Your Penis Might Be Full of Microplastics, and The Seine is Definitely Full of Bacteria

Microplastics are everywhere—and we mean everywhere. These pesky plastic pollutants have been found in penis tissues, testicles, breast milks and blood. They’ve turned up in Antarctic snow, in the clouds above Mount Fuji, inside deep-sea creatures and near the top of Mount Everest. In Paris, the Seine’s Olympic ambitions are being complicated by bacteria. Far above Earth, the Starliner spacecraft faced a rocky road to the International Space Station. Starliner’s return to Earth is being delayed as Boeing and NASA officials take a look at the leaks and thruster failures from its journey to the ISS.

Recommended reading:

Microplastics Linked to Heart Attack, Stroke and Death

The Physics of Breakdancing, a New Olympic Sport 

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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman. Our show is edited by Elah Feder, Alexa Lim, Madison Goldberg and Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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