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submitted 7 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

Microplastics have been found in historic soil samples for the first time, according to a new study, potentially upending the way archaeological remains are preserved.

Researchers found microplastics in soil deposits more than seven meters (23 feet) underground, which were deposited in the first or second century CE and excavated in the 1980s, a team led by researchers from the University of York in the United Kingdom said in a statement published Friday.

In total, the study identified 16 different microplastic polymer types in contemporary and archived soil samples, the statement adds.

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[-] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 7 months ago

The Romans invented plastic, I KNEW IT!

[-] taiyang@lemmy.world 12 points 7 months ago

It was actually the Etruscans. But common misconception...

[-] zabadoh@ani.social 6 points 7 months ago

Cave drawings by neanderthals in the Fertile Crescent in today's Iraq depict them hunting mammoths and making plastic.

[-] taiyang@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

Ah yes, I remember now. Nerf darts are actually derivative of plastic arrows heads that were dated over hundreds of thousands of years ago. The design is neigh indistinguishable from that of our ancestors' nerf arrows.

this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2024
220 points (100.0% liked)

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