Groundbreaking study finds huge amount of litter at deepest point in Mediterranean Sea
A groundbreaking study has found one of the highest concentrations of deep-sea litter ever detected at the deepest point of the Mediterranean Sea.
Researchers discovered plastic, glass, metal and paper waste at the bottom of the Calypso Deep, a 5,112m depression in the Ionian Sea about 60km west of Greece's Peloponnese coast.
Plastic accounted for nearly 90 per cent of the litter material, the study noted.
The research, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, emphasised the pressing need to implement global policies to cut marine waste and encourage changes in human consumption habits to protect the oceans.
'The litter abundance in the Calypso Deep, with 26,715 items per square kilometre, is among the highest ever recorded in a deep-sea environment,' the study stated.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona said the debris was likely carried to the Calypso Deep by ocean currents and direct dumping by boats.
'Some light waste, such as plastics, comes from the coast, from where it escapes to the Calypso Deep. Some plastics, such as bags drift just above the bottom until they are partially or completely buried, or disintegrate into smaller fragments,' Miquel Canals, one of the authors of the study, explained. 'We have also found evidence of boats dumping bags full of rubbish.'
Since the trench is a 'closed depression' with weak currents, it favours the accumulation of debris. 'Unfortunately, as far as the Mediterranean is concerned, it would not be wrong to say that 'not a single inch of it is clean',' Dr Canals said.
'The dive videos show the floor of the Calypso Deep littered by anthropogenic debris, with litter concentrations among the highest ever recorded in a deep-sea environment.'
To get to the depths of the trench, the researchers deployed an advanced crewed submarine called the Limiting Factor. Their images confirmed that marine litter reached even the deepest and most remote points of the Mediterranean.
The research vessel, built by Triton Submarines, carried two passengers to the deepest trenches, moving slowly at about 1.8 kilometres per hour and snapping high-quality images.
At the Calypso Deep, the submarine sailed about 650m in a straight line during a 43-minute stay near the bottom. The dive helped researchers calculate the density of marine litter at the bottom of the trench.
In some places, the researchers found different types of interaction between the debris and marine organisms. For example, they found instances of animals ingesting the debris and using it as a substrate to grow, hide or lay their eggs.
Their study revealed that the deep sea was a 'final sink' for pollution, the researchers said, highlighting the need for paying more attention to preserve marine ecosystems. 'The Mediterranean is an enclosed sea, surrounded by humanity, with intense maritime traffic and widespread fishing activity. The evidence provided by our research should shake up global efforts, and in particular in the Mediterranean, to mitigate waste dumping, especially plastics,' Dr Canals said.
'It is necessary to make a joint effort between scientists, communicators, journalists, the media, influencers and other people with social impact.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Jab duo could extend life by up to 16 years and de-age the brain - but are you brave enough to take it?
Scientists are a step closer to creating a 'fountain of youth' treatment that could help humans live into their nineties—and beyond. The injections involve the 'anti-ageing molecule' klotho, a type of protein that is naturally produced by the body. Levels of klotho, named after the mythological Greek figure Clotho, who spun the thread of human life, naturally decline as we get age. This process occurs at the same time we start experiencing age-related maladies like weaker bones, loss of muscle mass and declining cognitive abilities. Now, Spanish scientists have developed a klotho-based treatment that both increased levels of the protein in mice and boosted the lifespan of the rodents by a fifth. The experts said this is the equivalent of adding an extra 16 years to an 80 year-old human's lifespan. Not only did these mice live longer they showed improved muscle strength, bone density and brain function. While further research is needed before the treatment can be trialled on humans, the authors of the new study claim it could make a massive contribution to improving the ageing process. In the study, published in the journal Molecular Therapy, experts from the University of Barcelona used a specially modified virus to deliver klotho into the mice's cells. This harmless virus carried the biological blueprints for cells to produce the protein, enabling the mice to boost their klotho levels over a long period. Mice were given the virus via two injections—one into a vein in the body and the other directly into the brain. This enabled it to bypass the natural barrier that normally protects the vital organ and allowed scientists to examine klotho's effect on the brain. In total, three groups of mice were tested. One received the treatment at six months of age, another got the dose at 12 months, and a final group of six month old mice got a placebo to act as a control. Male mice injected at 12 months were found to live the longest (31.5 months on average), a fifth longer than the control group who only lasted 26.3 months. The average mouse lives for roughly 12 to 18 months. The researchers noted that klotho levels were the highest among the animals injected at one year old. Researchers also tested the mice on their physical fitness and found those in the treatment group performed better in experiments measuring coordination and muscle strength. Tissue analysis showed mice on klotho had less internal scarring on their muscles and were generally more muscular. Female mice on the treatment, however, did not see the same lifespan extension due to severe health complications that the scientists said were not related to the treatment. However they did develop stronger bones. Analysis of brain tissue also showed mice of both sexes showed signs they were developing new neurons in the hippocampus, an area of the brain closely linked to learning. This suggests the treatment could combat age-related dementia. Currently the implications for using the treatment in people remain limited. Mice aren't humans, and many drugs and treatments that have shown promise on rodents have failed to replicate this success when trialled on people. Also of note is that many of the tissue samples used in the analysis only came from a limited number of rodents, between three and four, which could limit the results. However, Joan Roig-Soriano, an expert in neuroscience and author of the new study, said techniques that can provide klotho to humans are already available. 'We now have viral vectors that can reach the brain after being administered intravenously, which would make it easier to safely transfer this therapy to humans,' he said. 'Another option would be to administer the protein directly as a drug instead of using viral vectors, but we still need to find an efficient way to deliver it and ensure it reaches the target organs,' he said. Previous research has shown klotho can improve brain function in old primates and 'de-age' the brains of mice by decades. Klotho was originally discovered by Japanese researchers who found that the amount produced by mice could affect how long the rodents lived.
BreakingNews.ie
30-04-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Scientists reveal top tips to perfect your cacio e pepe recipe
Cacio e pepe, a beloved pasta dish from Italy's Lazio region, is made with just three ingredients: pasta, ground black pepper, and, most importantly, authentic Pecorino Romano cheese. However, the simplicity of its ingredients can be misleading. Many assume it's easy to make, only to end up with a clumpy mess instead of the silky, creamy sauce that they hoped for. Advertisement Intrigued by the challenge, researchers from the University of Barcelona, the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, the University of Padova, and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria took it upon themselves to investigate the physics behind mixing cheese with water. Now, they believe they've cracked the code to perfecting this classic dish. All you need is pasta, Pecorino Romano cheese, pepper and some starch (Alamy/PA) Explaining the motives behind this study, which was published in Physics of Fluids, author Ivan Di Terlizzi said: 'We are Italians living abroad. We often have dinner together and enjoy traditional cooking. 'Among the dishes we have cooked was cacio e pepe, and we thought this might be an interesting physical system to study and describe. And of course, there was the practical aim to avoid wasting good Pecorino.' After conducting tests that honed in on the quantities of these ingredients, the researchers determined that a 2% to 3% starch-to-cheese ratio created the smoothest and most consistent sauce. Advertisement Use powdered starch, suggest the researchers (Alamy/PA) To achieve this level of precision, the team recommend using powdered starch – such as potato or corn starch – instead of depending on the unpredictable starch content of pasta water. 'Because starch is such an important ingredient, and the amount of starch can sharply determine where you end up, what we suggest is to use an amount of starch which is precisely measured,' advised Di Terlizzi. 'And this can only be done if you have the right amount of powdered starch in proportion to the amount of cheese that you're using.' Once the starch is added to the water, the authors' instructions say to blend it with the cheese for a uniform consistency, before adding the sauce back into the pan and slowly heating it up to serving temperature. If you've ever attempted to make cacio e pepe, you might have noticed that excessive heat can cause pieces of grated cheese to clump together, resulting in that dreaded, lumpy texture. Advertisement To avoid this, the researchers experimented with different temperatures and recommend letting the water cool slightly before adding the cheese, and then to gradually warm up the sauce to reach the desired consistency. Then mix in the pepper and pasta, and eat. And after perfecting the cacio e pepe recipe, the team are keen to conduct further experiments on other popular Italian dishes. 'There's a recipe called pasta alla gricia, which is cacio e pepe plus guanciale, cured pork cheek,' said author Daniel Maria Busiello. 'This recipe seems to be easier to perform, and we don't know exactly why. This is one idea we might explore in the future.' Advertisement
The Independent
04-04-2025
- The Independent
Australia sees nearly 40% decline in plastic pollution along major city coastlines
Plastic pollution along Australia 's metropolitan coastlines has dropped by more than a third over the last decade, according to new research by the country's national science agency. Coastal plastic waste in major cities has fallen by 39 per cent since 2013, the study, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, found. There was also a 16 per cent increase in surveyed sites where no debris was found. The results were based on 1,907 surveys conducted across the six metropolitan regions of Hobart, Newcastle, Perth, Port Augusta, the Sunshine Coast, and Alice Springs. Debris was recorded in inland, riverine and coastal areas within a 100km radius of each location. 'Three-quarters of the rubbish we find on our beaches is plastic, and flexible plastics, such as food packaging, are the most harmful to wildlife,' Dr Denise Hardesty, senior research scientist at the science agency, CSIRO, and co-author of the study, said. The most commonly found items were polystyrene fragments, making up 24 per cent of debris, and cigarette butts, which accounted for 20 per cent. Other frequently recorded waste items included food wrappers, bottle lids and caps, and hard plastic fragments. While Newcastle, Perth and the Sunshine Coast saw improvements, cities like Hobart and Port Augusta recorded a rise in coastal debris. Port Augusta recorded the most food wrappers, while the Sunshine Coast had high counts of cigarette litter. Alice Springs, which has no coastal sites, reported the highest prevalence of beverage cans. 'Although there are still areas for concern, it's exciting to see a significant decrease in plastic pollution as people around the country are becoming more aware of the harmful effects of plastic waste on people, communities and wildlife,' Dr Hardesty said. The research also highlighted socio-economic and land use patterns as key predictors of waste accumulation. Regions with intensive land use and greater disadvantage showed higher debris levels. Australia has implemented a series of measures in recent years, including container deposit schemes and bans on single-use plastics, to tackle plastic pollution. The study suggests that such policies, combined with local clean-up campaigns and public education, are helping reduce the volume of plastic entering the environment. 'Understanding the types and amount of plastic pollution in our environment provides critical data to develop strategies to stop it ending up there in the first place,' Dr Steph Brodie, CSIRO research scientist and study co-author, said. The new study builds on previous CSIRO research showing a 29 per cent reduction in plastic waste across Australia between 2013 and 2020. Australia has pledged to phase out problematic and unnecessary plastics by 2025 and recycle or reuse all of its plastic waste by 2040 as part of its National Waste Policy. Globally, plastic production has come to exceed 430 million tonnes annually, with only 9 per cent of waste being recycled, according to a 2022 OECD report. The amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could almost triple from 9-14 million tonnes a year in 2016 to a projected 23-37 million tonnes by 2040, according to the UN. In December 2024, nations of the world assembled to negotiate a legally binding global plastics treaty. However, the talks fell off and will resume again in June.
