Meet the microplastome

Microplastics

Source: © Svetlozar Hristov/Getty Images

New concept seeks to unify microplastics research

Earlier this year, the -ome family of terms gained a new member. Researchers advocating for a more holistic approach to microplastic research proposed the term microplastome to signify ‘the entirety of various plastic particles (<5mm), and their associated matters such as chemicals and microbes, found within a sample, and its overall environmental and toxicological impacts’.