Lindsey Konkel | Science News for Students

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Lindsey Konkel

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a photo of a hard plastic water bottle and a woman tying her shoelaces on a running path

Chemicals found in BPA-free plastic water bottles may contribute to obesity in kids and teens.

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 Toxicology
Study links chemicals in ‘BPA-free’ plastics to obesity in kids
Overweight kids host higher levels of BPS and BPF than do normal-weight kids
a broken down plastic bag floating underwater in the ocean

Biodegradable plastic bags could help reduce plastic pollution in the environment — but only if the material actually breaks down. Most don’t.

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 Pollution
'Biodegradable' plastic bags often don’t break down
Some 'green' plastics could still hold five pounds of groceries after three years outside
a photo of a young woman putting in a contact lens, reflected in a mirror

One in five people who wear contact lenses flush their used eyewear down the sink or toilet. That plastic pollutes the environment and can harm wildlife.

STUDIOGRANDOUEST/iStockphoto

 Pollution
Don’t flush your contact lenses
The plastics in them can pollute water and be mistaken for food by aquatic animals
a blue gloved hand holding a plate with bacteria on it

From the great outdoors to our internal organs, the world is awash in unseen bacteria (some seen growing on plate here). Most people assume (unfairly) that these germs are all dangerous. Biologists know better. Studying these poorly understood microbes could better reveal how they function as the "invisible backbone of life."

jarun011/iStockphoto

 Microbes
Bacteria are all around us — and that’s okay
Although these microbes remain poorly understood, they could prove key to protecting life across the planet
the back of a schoolbus driving on a street before sunrise

Many students start school earlier than experts recommend. A new study shows that earlier start times are linked with being slightly heavier.

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 Behavior
Study links weight to when the school bell rings
Teens and preteens who start school earlier weigh a bit more
close up of a teenager's hands with sparkly nail polish and holding a lit cigarette

Toxic particles of so-called “thirdhand smoke” can settle on clothing. When the smoker comes indoors, those particles can go airborne again to pollute a new site.

prudkov/iStockphoto

 Chemistry
‘Thirdhand’ smoke can hitchhike to non-smoking sites
Harmful cigarette residues may hitchhike to non-smoking sites