McGill researchers develop practical new tool for detecting nanoplastics and microplastics in the environment

Affordable, efficient, HoLDI-MS will facilitate global monitoring of plastic pollution

2025-05-06

(Press-News.org) A team of McGill University researchers has developed a cost-effective, high-throughput technology for detecting nanoplastics and microplastics in the environment.

These particles are pervasive, posing health and environmental risks, yet detecting them at the nanoscale has been difficult. The 3D-printed HoLDI-MS test platform overcomes the limitations of traditional mass spectrometry by enabling direct analysis of samples without requiring complex sample preparation. The researchers say it also will work for detection of waterborne plastic particles. HoLDI-MS stands for hollow-laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

“With HoLDI, we provide a method that is effective, quantitative, highly accurate and affordable, making it accessible to researchers worldwide,” said Chemistry Professor Parisa Ariya, who led the study published last month in Nature’s Communications Chemistry. “It requires little energy, is recyclable and costs only a few dollars per sample.”

The new method will also advance international co-operation in fighting plastic pollution, in alignment with calls by the United Nations Environment Programme to improve methods, the researchers say.

“Until now, there have been no established universal protocols for nanoplastic detection within the complex environment,” Ariya said.

“This technology allows us to pinpoint the major sources of nano and microplastics in the environment,” she said. “More importantly, it enables data comparison and validation across laboratories worldwide, a crucial step toward harmonizing global research on plastic pollution.”

As part of their study, the researchers identified polyethylene and polydimethylsiloxanes in indoor air, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in outdoor air.

About the study A HoLDI mass spectrometry platform for airborne nanoplastic detection by Ariya's laboratories, Wang et al. was published in Nature’s Communications Chemistry.

This work was funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and National Research Council Canada (NRC).

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The ISSCR announces Montréal as the location for its 2026 Annual Meeting 8-11 July 2026

2025-05-06

Stem cell scientists from around the world will gather in Montréal, Canada, from 8–11 July 2026 for the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 2026 Annual Meeting. This global event will unite experts who are leading progress in stem cell research and regenerative medicine. The meeting will center around five key scientific themes curated by the 2026 Annual Meeting Program Committee: Clinical Applications Chairs: Catherine Priest, USA and Stuart Forbes, UK Capturing Development Chairs: Kat Hadjantonakis, USA and Dasaradhi Palakodeti, ...

New study shows individuals prefer when firms stay apolitical on polarizing issues

2025-05-06

Customers often prefer companies aligned with their values, but it has been less clear how they react to firms taking a stance on a polarizing topic. A new study published in Strategic Management Journal explores how individuals respond to firms' communications around a polarizing political issue: whether firms take an apolitical stance, say nothing, or choose an ideological stance. The findings highlight how firm and communication characteristics influence the ways in which individuals' opinions of the firm are affected by management’s political activism, and how individuals may prefer firms to stay neutral. The research team — Tommaso ...

University of Tennessee designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity

2025-05-06

The number and sophistication of cyberattacks has increased significantly in recent years. According to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, economic losses from cybercrime in the US exceeded $4 billion in 2020 and skyrocketed to $16 billion in 2024. Beyond their monetary impacts, cyberattacks can cause significant harm. “A significant number of cyberattacks are on critical infrastructure, like smart electrical grids or water meters,” said Himanshu Thapliyal, an ...

Research update: Okra, fenugreek extracts remove most microplastics from water

2025-05-06

The substances behind the slimy strings from okra and the gel from fenugreek seeds could trap microplastics better than a commonly used synthetic polymer. Previously, researchers proposed using these sticky natural polymers to clean up water. Now, they report in ACS Omega that okra and/or fenugreek extracts attracted and removed up to 90% of microplastics in ocean water, freshwater and groundwater. Rajani Srinivasan and colleagues have been exploring nontoxic, plant-based approaches to attract ...

Heat and drought are quietly hurting crop yields

2025-05-06

More frequent hot weather and droughts have dealt a significant blow to crop yields, especially for key grains like wheat, barley, and maize, according to a Stanford study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The analysis finds that warming and air dryness – a key factor in crop stress – have surged in nearly every major agricultural region, with some areas experiencing growing seasons hotter than nearly any season 50 years ago. The study also pointed to two important ways that models have missed the mark ...

Gender characteristics of service robots can influence customer decisions

2025-05-06

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The hospitality industry can leverage the gender characteristics of service robots to influence customers’ decisions, according to new research from a team in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. Service robots with characteristics typically associated with males may be more persuasive when interacting with women who have a low sense of power, according to the researchers. The team also found that “cute” features in the design of robots — such as big eyes and raised cheeks — may reduce the effect of portrayed robot gender on persuasiveness, as male and female ...

Ultra-thin bismuth holds unexpected promise for green electronics: researcher

2025-05-06

Electronic devices rely on materials whose electrical properties change with temperature, making them less stable in extreme conditions. A discovery by McGill University researchers that challenges conventional wisdom in physics suggests that bismuth, a metal, could serve as the foundation for highly stable electronic components. The researchers observed a mysterious electrical effect in ultra-thin bismuth that remains unchanged across a wide temperature range, from near absolute zero (-273°C) to room temperature. “If we can harness this, it could become important for green electronics,” said Guillaume ...

Discovery: a better, more targeted termite terminator

2025-05-06

Drywood termites, the ones that hide in wooden structures, molt about seven times in their lives. UC Riverside researchers have found a chemical preventing them from growing new exoskeletons will also end their infestation of your home. The chemical, bistrifluron, and its ability to kill about 95 percent of a termite colony without off-target effects on mammals, are documented in a paper published in the Journal of Economic Entomology. “This chemical is more environmentally friendly than ones traditionally used for drywood termite infestations,” said Nicholas Poulos, corresponding author of the paper and a doctoral student in UCR’s Department of Entomology. ...

Researchers harness brain activity to look at how we perceive faces from other racial groups differently

2025-05-06

U of T Scarborough researchers have harnessed artificial intelligence (AI) and brain activity to shed new light on why we struggle to accurately recognize faces of people from different races. Across a pair of studies, researchers explored the Other-Race-Effect (ORE), a well-known phenomenon in which people recognize faces of their own race more easily than others. They combined AI and brain activity collected through EEG (electroencephalography) to reveal new insights into how we perceive other-race faces, including visual distortions more deeply ingrained in our brain than previously ...

New research finds leadership-backed training key to better policing

2025-05-06

BALTIMORE, MD, May 6, 2025 – As communities across the U.S. continue grappling with public safety and police reform, a new study published in the INFORMS journal Management Science offers compelling evidence for a path forward: procedural justice training for police officers, backed by leadership support, can significantly improve officer behavior and strengthen community trust. “At a time when communities are calling for both safer streets and meaningful police reform, our findings offer an important starting point,” says Rodrigo Canales, lead author of the study and professor at Boston University. “When backed by leadership, ...