A 20-year study reveal decrease in per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a pelagic seabird from the Western Mediterranean Sea.

Despite the first ban on perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) in 2009, it remains unclear whether Europe, a key regulator, has effectively reduced per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment over the past 20 years. This study investigates the levels and temporal trends of 19 PFAS compounds in the livers of 62 Scopoli's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) collected from the Mediterranean basin during 2003-2022. Over the past two decades, PFAS concentrations showed an overall significant decrease of 77%.

Biomagnification and temporal trends (1990-2021) of perfluoroalkyl substances in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the NW Mediterranean sea.

Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a well-known class of pollutants which can bioaccumulate and biomagnify with a vast majority being highly persistent. This study aims to determine the biomagnification rates of PFAS in sexually mature striped dolphins and to assess temporal trends on PFAS concentrations over the past three decades (1990-2021) in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. Thirteen and 17 of the 19 targeted PFAS were detected in the samples of the dolphins' digestive content and liver, respectively, at concentrations ranging between 43 and 1609 ng/g wet weight, and 254 and 7010 ng/g wet weight, respectively.

Plastic degradation by insect hexamerins: Near-atomic resolution structures of the polyethylene-degrading proteins from the wax worm saliva.

Plastic waste management is a pressing ecological, social, and economic challenge. The saliva of the lepidopteran larvae is capable of oxidizing and depolymerizing polyethylene in hours at room temperature. Here, we analyze by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) 's saliva directly from the native source.

The virtual microbiome: A computational framework to evaluate microbiome analyses.

Microbiomes have been the focus of a substantial research effort in the last decades. The composition of microbial populations is normally determined by comparing DNA sequences sampled from those populations with the sequences stored in genomic databases. Therefore, the amount of information available in databanks should be expected to constrain the accuracy of microbiome analyses.

Plant uptake of perfluoroalkyl substances in freshwater environments (Dongzhulong and Xiaoqing Rivers, China).

This study provides new knowledge on the mobility, behavior, and partitioning of 17 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the water-sediment-plant system along the Dongzhulong and Xiaoqing Rivers. The fate of PFASs in these rivers is also discussed. The study area is affected by the industrial production of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).