The same unique structure that makes plastic so versatile also makes it susceptible to breaking down into harmful micro- and nanoscale particles.
The world is saturated with trillions of microscopic and nanoscopic plastic particles, some smaller than a virus, making them small enough to interfere with cellular function and even alter DNA. Researchers have found these particles in nearly every environment they've studied, from Antarctic snow to human blood.
In a new study, scientists have mapped out the molecular mechanisms behind the widespread formation of these tiny plastic fragments. Since plastic first entered the market 75 years ago, its use has become nearly universal—and so has the presence of nanoplastics.
The same properties that make plastic durable and flexible also make it susceptible to breaking down into nanoscale pieces. This breakdown is especially common in the 75-80% of plastics classified as semicrystalline polymers. The research was led by Sanat Kumar, Michael Bykhovsky, and Charo Gonzalez-Bykhovsky, professors of Chemical Engineering at Columbia Engineering.
If you look at a piece of plastic through a powerful microscope, you'll see alternating layers of hard material and soft material. In the hard layers, plastic molecules are rigidly organized in strong crystal structures. In the soft layers, the molecules lack structure and form a soft, amorphous mass.
When thousands of these layers are stacked together, they create a material that's lightweight, durable, and extremely versatile. Importantly these materials derive their unique properties through the connectivity between the soft and hard phases.
In a paper published March 28 in Nature Communications, the researchers explain how nanoplastics form. They discovered that the process begins in the soft layers, which grow weaker over time due to environmental degradation and can break off even when the plastic is not under stress. By themselves, these soft pieces break down quickly in the environment. Problems arise when the failure of a soft layer allows hard layers to break off. These crystalline fragments are the nano- and microplastics that can persist in the environment for centuries and cause significant damage in living things, including humans.
We sat down with Kumar to learn more about this work.
How does this paper contribute to our understanding of nanoplastics?
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence of nanoplastics — people have found them all over the place and seen them form — but no one had determined the mechanisms behind how they form.
What did you discover?
75% of all plastic used has sort of a brick-and-mortar structure. It's made of really thin alternating layers: hard, soft, hard, soft, and so on. We've known since the 1950s that the soft stuff is holding the hard stuff together.
What we show in the new study is how easily those soft connectors break even under quiescent conditions such as in a landfill. Once that layer fails, the hard segments have nowhere to go — they scatter into the environment.
Why is that a problem?
These pieces float around, and some end up in human bodies. The smallest pieces pass through cells and into the nucleus, where they can start messing with DNA. Nano- and microplastics, which seem to have similar sizes and shapes to asbestos, raise the potential that they could cause cancer, heart disease/stroke, and other diseases.
Is there an engineering solution to address this problem?
Our results suggest that engineering the architecture of the soft layers to be more resilient would decrease the amount of crystalline fragments that break off.
Clearly, focus needs to be placed on this point to reduce the amount of micro and nano plastics created by normal polymer degradation.
How can better understanding nanoplastics improve human health?
Only 2% of plastics are recycled, mostly because it's too expensive. But if you just throw plastic into the environment, it creates micro- and nanoplastics that look like they are going to cause health problems.
If you think about it that way, if you have to choose between the health problems that could be created by the nanoplastics vs. the cost of recycling, then maybe it's actually cheaper to recycle.
Reference: "Mechanism of quiescent nanoplastic formation from semicrystalline polymers" by Nicholas F. Mendez, Vivek Sharma, Michele Valsecchi, Vighnesh Pai, Johnny K. Lee, Linda S. Schadler, Alejandro J. Müller, Shelby Watson-Sanders, Mark Dadmun, Guruswamy Kumaraswamy and Sanat K. Kumar, 28 March 2025, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58233-3
The study was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Basque Government.
News
A single shot of HPV vaccine may be enough to fight cervical cancer, study finds
WASHINGTON -- A single HPV vaccination appears just as effective as two doses at preventing the viral infection that causes cervical cancer, researchers reported Wednesday. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is very common and spread [...]
New technique overcomes technological barrier in 3D brain imaging
Scientists at the Swiss Light Source SLS have succeeded in mapping a piece of brain tissue in 3D at unprecedented resolution using X-rays, non-destructively. The breakthrough overcomes a long-standing technological barrier that had limited [...]
Scientists Uncover Hidden Blood Pattern in Long COVID
Researchers found persistent microclot and NET structures in Long COVID blood that may explain long-lasting symptoms. Researchers examining Long COVID have identified a structural connection between circulating microclots and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The [...]
This Cellular Trick Helps Cancer Spread, but Could Also Stop It
Groups of normal cbiells can sense far into their surroundings, helping explain cancer cell migration. Understanding this ability could lead to new ways to limit tumor spread. The tale of the princess and the [...]
New mRNA therapy targets drug-resistant pneumonia
Bacteria that multiply on surfaces are a major headache in health care when they gain a foothold on, for example, implants or in catheters. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have found [...]
Current Heart Health Guidelines Are Failing To Catch a Deadly Genetic Killer
New research reveals that standard screening misses most people with a common inherited cholesterol disorder. A Mayo Clinic study reports that current genetic screening guidelines overlook most people who have familial hypercholesterolemia, an inherited disorder that [...]
Scientists Identify the Evolutionary “Purpose” of Consciousness
Summary: Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum explore why consciousness evolved and why different species developed it in distinct ways. By comparing humans with birds, they show that complex awareness may arise through different neural architectures yet [...]
Novel mRNA therapy curbs antibiotic-resistant infections in preclinical lung models
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have reported early success with a novel mRNA-based therapy designed to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The findings, published in Nature Biotechnology, show that in [...]
New skin-permeable polymer delivers insulin without needles
A breakthrough zwitterionic polymer slips through the skin’s toughest barriers, carrying insulin deep into tissue and normalizing blood sugar, offering patients a painless alternative to daily injections. A recent study published in the journal Nature examines [...]
Multifunctional Nanogels: A Breakthrough in Antibacterial Strategies
Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern - from human health to crop survival. A new study successfully uses nanogels to target and almost entirely inhibit the bacteria P. Aeruginosa. Recently published in Angewandte Chemie, the study [...]
Nanoflowers rejuvenate old and damaged human cells by replacing their mitochondria
Biomedical researchers at Texas A&M University may have discovered a way to stop or even reverse the decline of cellular energy production—a finding that could have revolutionary effects across medicine. Dr. Akhilesh K. Gaharwar [...]
The Stunning New Push to Protect the Invisible 99% of Life
Scientists worldwide have joined forces to build the first-ever roadmap for conserving Earth’s vast invisible majority—microbes. Their new IUCN Specialist Group reframes conservation by elevating microbial life to the same urgency as plants and [...]
Scientists Find a Way to Help the Brain Clear Alzheimer’s Plaques Naturally
Scientists have discovered that the brain may have a built-in way to fight Alzheimer’s. By activating a protein called Sox9, researchers were able to switch on star-shaped brain cells known as astrocytes and turn them into [...]
Vision can be rebooted in adults with amblyopia, study suggests
Temporarily anesthetizing the retina briefly reverts the activity of the visual system to that observed in early development and enables growth of responses to the amblyopic eye, new research shows. In the common vision [...]
Ultrasound-activated Nanoparticles Kill Liver Cancer and Activate Immune System
A new ultrasound-guided nanotherapy wipes out liver tumors while training the immune system to keep them from coming back. The study, published in Nano Today, introduces a biodegradable nanoparticle system that combines sonodynamic therapy and cell [...]
Magnetic nanoparticles that successfully navigate complex blood vessels may be ready for clinical trials
Every year, 12 million people worldwide suffer a stroke; many die or are permanently impaired. Currently, drugs are administered to dissolve the thrombus that blocks the blood vessel. These drugs spread throughout the entire [...]
