This is quite frustrating. The article says "could" all the while pointing to everything that indicates that they "do". The article says that POP's (persistent organic pollutants) have been found in the marine life within the area of the study and that the same POP's were found in higher concentrations to varying degrees in the microplastics analyzed and that these microplastics were found in the tissues of these animals. So, take it as you will. Bon Appetit! PCB's DDT's yum yum!

J.P.G.L. Frias, P. Sobral, A.M. Ferreira, Organic pollutants in microplastics from two beaches of the Portuguese coast, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 60, Issue 11, November 2010, Pages 1988-1992, ISSN 0025-326X, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.07.030.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X1000336X)
Keywords: Microplastics; PAHs; PCBs; DDTs; Plastic pellets; Portugal

Organic pollutants in microplastics from two beaches of the Portuguese coast

I apologise for referring you to a paywall, but this journal article does show that "chemicals could transfer from plastic when they are eaten by animals and accumulate in their bodies and reduce important functions that maintain their health."

Some may argue that such research is pointless because pollution goes hand in hand with civilization or that we will never be able to clean up what is already out there. I disagree. Understanding how organisms are affected may give valuable insights into how pollution is and will alter the food chain. The article mentions "accumulation of toxins", this is bioaccumulation of not only different sizes and types of microplastics, it is also the bioaccumulation of the plasticizers that leach out as these microplastics degrade in a particular environment over time. Then some of these organisms are eaten by others which results in bioamplification of whatever toxins linger - mainly in fatty tissues. These organisms migrate and here you and I sit at the top of the food chain ready to devour what we assume is safe to eat. Some of the plasticizers - such as bisphenol-A (synthetic estrogen used to harden plastics) and phthalates (used to soften plastics) are well known endocrine disruptors; i.e. they mimic hormones which can alter development of offspring. Wouldn't such biological activity of these contaminants be worth studying - say in the realm of genetics - specifically epigenetics?

Food for though. Do a load of laundry that is all 100% cotton and you end up with quite a few cotton fibers in the dryer's lint filter. Do a similar size load of clothing containing synthetic fibers and notice there is far less in the lint filter and that the fibers are considerably smaller. Do another load of synthetics and filter out all of the water drained from the washing machine and take a look at what wind up in a settling pond (unless there is a storm surge that overloads the sewage system) and eventually to the ocean.

Not only are the toxins from microplastics a concern, but so are the fibers themselves which can block gills and also act as substrates for organisms from one environment to flourish upon, be transported upon and potentially become an invasive species in another environment resulting in loss of resources for the fishing industry rippling through the global economy.

No question! Galaga was the first game I got a high score on and the first game where I wiped all other players off the list.

Define "well-sealed."

An off-planet laboratory seems like an intelligent first move - a lunar-synchronous asteroid perhaps? My imaginary implications mostly point out the need for operational security - at least in practice. Who wants to bio-engineer organisms to transform mars here on earth anyway? Minimizing the oh s%^t factor should be a priority.

The article would have been much more interesting if the author(s) would have elaborated beyond "computer-designed." I mean get real down and nerdy about it! This is Slashdot, don't be shy.

FTFA, he has raised $90,000 in the past few days. That seems to have helped. He has brought attention to legal conflicts that people should be talking about - that will help in a broader sense. It seems like you have given up any notion of progress. It's people who stand up and put things to the test who make a difference - no matter how big or small. If he goes to the joint over it, that's his choice. This media attention IMHO will be of benefit that could have the feds go easier on him because he's not just some unknown guy getting black bagged in an alley and stuffed into a room with no windows - blah, blah, blah.

I hear it's actually pretty nice - decent food and opportunities for education, (might come in handy since his business is gone). And best of all you pretty much have an idea who you're getting ganked by. In the mean time, staying in the public eye will assure the feds tread carefully and just might save his a$$ - no pun intended.

That's one 'friggin' rocket controlled by a whack job.

By the way, I read all over the news that NK can't hit the US - while Alaska is within striking distance. Still goes to show that Alaska isn't considered a part of the US. NK could strike the Aleutians before an interceptor could intervene.

Have a nice diurnal anomaly!

If this is Slashdot 2013, then I propose we be allowed to mod articles.

So, let me kick it off by modding this article as bovine jenkem!

Well, what the hell else could I say?

Dude, I remember when the Ramones debuted on SHA NA NA and "fight club" was the status-quo - at home, after school, during class, in the principals office, wherever! Calling somebody puss-puss these days just makes them sad and run away to the grief counselors.

Hmmm.

That's a good point! Perhaps my analogy refers more to square dancers.

Yes, you are correct - the lattice structures do immediately alternate in form with respect to differences in twang.

Thank you for your insight.

Ravers require a catalyst to lower the activation energy. Many effective catalysts are known to exist, but pure ones are desired to eliminate undesired results. So, ravers + activation energy (complex audio range frequencies in the presence of various light sources), begin to exhibit unexplainable quantum effects. These quantum effects vary significantly within the sample. Although some elements may seem to have the required energy and orientation to effectively bond, particle proximity seems sufficient enough to observe results such as random and vivid kaleidoscoping fractal patterns. This results in other molecules, not necessarily in direct contact, adopting similar properties which either homogenize or further break apart to reveal quarks that allow even more complex reactions to occur. Periodically, the wrong combination of reaction mechanisms can result in short-term irreversible immediate and direct return to the pre-catalyzing state.

Peer reviews of such reactions are difficult because no experiment has been shown to be repeatable - the results, although similar, are never the same.

However, it must be noted that certain mixtures of catalysts have demonstrated long term and sometimes irreversible excitation - even when removed from the reaction vessel and isolated in a clinical setting.

Including the reactions mentioned in my earlier post, raver reactions appear to have the least destructive effect on the environment. In correlation to theories of the origins of the universe the big bang theory has greater merit. However, unraveling raver reactions seems to support the possibility of the steady state theory being a premonition of what may soon develop. Politicians and judges have fought hard to control access to the required catalysts to prove such a possibility, and many research proposals are continually denied for illusory reasons. Perhaps they are right in their motives because if you are trying to qualify and quantify raver reactions, you are totally missing the point! Raver reactions exist of their own accord toward the extent of a continual BIG BANG; where no politicians or judges could exist.

Wouldn't coagulant be more appropriate?

Oh, duh! They're called dispersants because they cause oil to be out of sight and out of mind - resting in the water column rather than causing financial and political turmoil on the surface.