Our new @adriftlab.bsky.social paper is out, lead by @alixdejersey.bsky.social showing the insidious impacts of plastics on seemingly health birds (1/5) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... - ThreadSky

thelabandfield.bsky.social • 15 days ago

Our new @adriftlab.bsky.social paper is out, lead by @alixdejersey.bsky.social showing the insidious impacts of plastics on seemingly health birds (1/5)

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads0834

Comments

adventuresofjoy.bsky.social•14 days ago

📌

debgertiefox.bsky.social•15 days ago

That is a frightening canary in the coal mine. I’ll be much more aware of places I can be mindful of my food packaging.

thelabandfield.bsky.social•15 days ago

We found that Intracellular components that should not be found in the blood were frequently detected, indicative of cell death. Secreted proteins were less abundant, indicating that the stomach, liver, and kidneys are not functioning as normal. (2/5)

thelabandfield.bsky.social•15 days ago

Most worryingly, we found evidence of neurodegeneration in <90-day-old seabird chicks with high levels of ingested plastic - protein expression signatures akin to what we see in human patients with dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's (3/5)

thelabandfield.bsky.social•15 days ago

It adds to our growing list of "problems that are not obvious or that do not immediately result in mortality" associated with plastics - a problem dismissed by many folks in conservation 10 years ago (and even some today!) that our team has found in the last two decade (4/5)

thelabandfield.bsky.social•15 days ago

And the work is absolutely BRUTAL, mentally. That part isn't really recognized (or supported) beyond the superficial. We're all expected to carry on as normal.

And it seems like nothing changes. Every year it's the same - more plastic, more necropsies, more tears.

https://bsky.app/profile/thelabandfield.bsky.social/post/3ks3jxegezt24

coyotequeen.bsky.social•15 days ago

id rather know the truth even if it crushes my soul. im sorry dr. im broken by all this and so v angry too.

helenfcraig.bsky.social•15 days ago

This is tragic to read but thank you for sharing. Makes me think of this recent work from Birmingham - so many researchers, especially those early in their career, are just left to deal with this stuff and it's often left out of ethics applications etc. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2025/best-practice-for-supporting-the-mental-health-of-those-involved-in-emotionally-demanding-research