Israel-Iran air war enters second week as Europe pushes diplomacy
A building at the campus of the Weizmann Institute of Science remains damaged following an Iranian missile strike on Sunday, in Rehovot, Israel June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
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RTHK
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Glass bottles cap surprising microplastics study
Glass bottles cap surprising microplastics study French researchers found 4.5 particles per litre in glass water bottles to 1.6 particles in their plastic counterparts. File photo: Reuters Drinks including water, soda, beer and wine sold in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, according to a surprising study released by France's food safety agency on Friday. Researchers have detected the tiny, mostly invisible pieces of plastic throughout the world, from the air we breathe to the food we eat, as well as riddled throughout human bodies. There's still no direct evidence that this preponderance of plastic is harmful to human health, but a burgeoning field of research is aiming to measure its spread. Guillaume Duflos, research director at French food safety agency Anses, said the team sought to "investigate the quantity of microplastics in different types of drinks sold in France and examine the impact different containers can have". The researchers found an average of around 100 microplastic particles per litre in glass bottles of soft drinks, lemonade, iced tea and beer. That was five to 50 times higher than the rate detected in plastic bottles or metal cans. "We expected the opposite result," said PhD student Iseline Chaib, who conducted the research. "We then noticed that in the glass, the particles emerging from the samples were the same shape, colour and polymer composition – so therefore the same plastic – as the paint on the outside of the caps that seal the glass bottles," she said. The paint on the caps also had "tiny scratches, invisible to the naked eye, probably due to friction between the caps when there were stored", the agency said in a statement. This could then "release particles onto the surface of the caps", it added. For water, both flat and sparkling, the amount of microplastic was relatively low in all cases, ranging from 4.5 particles per litre in glass bottles to 1.6 particles in plastic. Wine also contained few microplastics – even glass bottles with caps. Duflos said the reason for this discrepancy "remains to be explained". Soft drinks, however, contained around 30 microplastics per litre, lemonade 40 and beer around 60. Because there is no reference level for a potentially toxic amount of microplastics, it was not possible to say whether these figures represent a health risk, Anses said. (AFP)
The Standard
6 hours ago
- The Standard
Israel-Iran air war enters second week as Europe pushes diplomacy
A building at the campus of the Weizmann Institute of Science remains damaged following an Iranian missile strike on Sunday, in Rehovot, Israel June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
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Starship explodes in blow to 10th test flight hopes
Starship explodes in blow to 10th test flight hopes A SpaceX Starship launches in May on its ninth test flight but the Super Heavy first-stage booster blew up instead of splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. File photo: Reuters One of tech billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX Starships exploded during a routine test late on Wednesday in Texas, law enforcement said, adding that no one was injured. The Starship 36 suffered "catastrophic failure and exploded" at the Starbase launch facility shortly after 11pm, or noon Hong Kong time on Thursday, a Facebook post by the Cameron County authorities said. Musk's SpaceX said the rocket was preparing for the 10th flight test when it "experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase". "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," SpaceX added on social media. "There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while operations continue." Starbase on the south Texas coast, near the border with Mexico, is the headquarters for Musk's space project. Standing 123 metres tall, Starship is the world's largest and most powerful rocket and central to Musk's long-term vision of colonising Mars. The latest setback follows an explosion of a prototype Starship over the Indian Ocean in late May. The biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built had lifted off on May 27 from the Starbase facility, but the first-stage Super Heavy booster blew up instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The previous two outings also ended poorly, with the upper stage disintegrating over the Caribbean. (AFP)
