this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] Mustakrakish@lemmy.world 41 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] MeThisGuy@feddit.nl 18 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

bordering on insanity

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 day ago

It's that bullshit when they take a vertically oriented picture/video, stretch it and blur it to a 4:3 ratio, and center the content over it.

Imo a waste of bandwidth and computer power for people who can't cope with the idea of vertical content on a horizontal screen, on a platform primarily accessed by phones anyway.

[–] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 173 points 1 day ago (20 children)

I remember when I found out that shit was plastic. I always assumed they were organic material of some kind, like the body scrubs with the crushed up walnut shell in it (which probably has fucking microplastic in it, too). So disgusting.

This is why we need to change how shit works. It shouldn't go: company does some shit > fall out > government steps in. It should go: company has an idea > must get permission first from environmental agencies

[–] theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world 82 points 1 day ago (10 children)

Nah corporations really don't give a shit at all, like all chewing gum is literally just plastic too and sheds tons of microplastics into your mouth as you chew it.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/rethink-chewing-gum-habit-essentially-plastic/

Plastic is an organic material though, so your assumption was correct.

[–] moody@lemmings.world 29 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The difference is in the definition or organic. When the average person thinks organic, they mean something that is or used to be alive. When a scientist think organic, they're talking about carbon compounds.

[–] Wrufieotnak@feddit.org 20 points 1 day ago

Plastic are made from fossil fuels which are from primordial plants. So still organic according to your definition. Just a few hundred million years since it was alive.

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[–] AmbitiousProcess@piefed.social 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] angstylittlecatboy@reddthat.com 11 points 1 day ago (3 children)
[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

Chalk one up for the good old US of A. Gotta take our wins where we can get em.

I used to use a facial scrub with the plastic beads. I look back and it's like what the fuck, but at the time it was fine. Sorry world.

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[–] ekky@sopuli.xyz 97 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Plastic gotta be this age's lead/quicksilver.

[–] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 68 points 1 day ago (21 children)
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[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 day ago

You know that old saying: If it's stupid but it works it's not stupid? This is the proof that it is incorrect.

[–] Nalivai@discuss.tchncs.de 37 points 1 day ago (4 children)

It's not what microplasitcs are! Does anyone knows what micro is at this point?

[–] TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Microbeads are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than one millimeter in their largest dimension.[1] They are most frequently made of polyethylene but can be of other petrochemical plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene. They are used in exfoliating personal care products, toothpastes, and in biomedical and health-science research.[2]

-Wikipedia

[–] hakobo@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago

To add to this, the definition of microplastic is less than 5mm. So yes, 1mm microbeads are microplastics.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microplastics

[–] LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 8 points 1 day ago

Centibeads🐛

[–] Vorticity@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

If these aren't microplastics, what are?

"Micro" just means "small" in this case and doesn't mean "microscopic" or have anything to do with "micrometer".

The definition of "microplastic" according to NOAA: "Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long".

[–] Heikki2@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago
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[–] Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone 91 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Don’t like thinking about how much of that probably made it to my brain, organs, and muscles :)

[–] ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 91 points 1 day ago (6 children)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1

This study released last year based on samples from cadavers suggests there’s enough in your brain to make a plastic spoon

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 37 points 1 day ago

"this is not what we meant by brain plasticity"

[–] logicbomb@lemmy.world 37 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Maybe they can recycle me into a plastic spoon then.

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[–] But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago (8 children)

Just mineral or ground rocks work just as well. I hate my wife’s soft face scrub, i need that shit that feels like I’m scrubbing my face with sandpaper, to exfoliate well. They sell one that has ground up lava rock, i love that shit, and it makes me wonder why anyone ever thought plastic bits was a good idea

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day ago

I feel like it's just capitalism doing a capitalism. People are self-conscious about their skin, so you can sell them all kinds of crap.
Even a basic washcloth does a decent job with exfoliating, if you use it regularly. Rub your face dry with a scruffy towel, if you need more than that.

But of course, there's hardly any money to be made with reasonably priced products, so you won't see TV ads for them.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They probably had some extra plastic to offload lol.

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But lava rock grinds are not part of the industrial waste stream repurposed for profit. This is innovation!

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

My ex would use St. Ives "Apricot Exfoliant" or something, which has powdered apricot pits and walnut shells. Those are waste products that I wouldn't expect to cause problems but who knows.

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[–] 9point6@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh I'd somehow forgotten this era

That shit was in everything non solid for like 2 years

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[–] BroBot9000@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Reasons we need more oversight and regulations for these corporate snake oil salesmen. This shit should be a crime against humanity and every damn company that put that shit into their products should be abolished.

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