Who Cares? Podcast: Organisms you cannot see, at least not with the naked eye

Document Type

Audio

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Publication Date

5-13-2021

Keywords

Georgia Southern University, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, College of Education, Who Cares?, Organisms

Abstract

Liz Sargent, Ph.D., is passionate about organisms you cannot see, at least not with the naked eye. Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that live in watery environments [so...not Sheldon J. Plankton from SpongeBob...smaller on the food web]. These little plants are responsible for approximately 50% of all photosynthesis on earth, and to be honest, if you don’t know what they look like you should Google them [we’ll wait]. They are unquestionably unique, and grow external structures around them made of silica [glass] and chalk.

But that’s not the only thing microscopic that Sargent is studying these days. Since moving to Georgia, she has become very interested in microplastics including plastic shards, beads and fibers less than 0.5 cm. While not visible in the Georgia coastal waters we love, these microplastics are definitely there [lots of it, in fact]. Research is being done to determine what long term effects the presence of microplastics may have on fisheries [and therefore the local economy], but it’s too early to tell. What Sargent does know is that the microplastics are coming from us. The clothes that we wear, specifically fleece and polyester, go into the washing machine, which eventually ends up in the ocean and therefore in the food chain. On a larger scale, companies use plastic and plastic fibers in almost everything. So what can we do? What does this mean? Tune in to find out.

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