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A large amount of human-produced plastic waste degrades into microplastics: small particles that linger in the environment and can be consumed by animals and people. Microplastics spread through water, air, and even the human bloodstream. Matthew Campen, director of the University of New Mexico's Center for Metals in Biology and Medicine, joins CBS News to explain the possible health risks from microplastic exposure.
Removing the plastic now helps to stop it from degrading and shedding additional microplastics into the ocean, which can enter the food chain and eventually end up in the human body.
Study finds cancer-linked PFAS chemicals prevalent in drinking water sources across the globe, including many far over regulatory limits.
Dozens of 55-pound bags of the tiny plastic pellets known as nurdles, which are known to be a major source of microplastic pollution, have washed up in northwest Spain in recent weeks.
A recent study estimates there are now 170 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean. A team of international scientists working on a research vessel off the coast of Panama are seeking to understand the impact of microplastics on the oceans and our health. Ben Tracy has details.
A whopping 170 trillion pieces of plastic litter our seas, impacting ocean health and entering the human food chain. Scientists recently probed the depths off the coast of Panama to learn more. CBS News senior national and environmental correspondent Ben Tracy reports.
A new study found that nearly half of the nation's drinking water contains potentially harmful "forever chemicals," called PFAS. The substances have been linked to several serious health problems, including some cancers. Mark Strassmann reports on efforts to eliminate the chemicals, plus the study's lead author, Kelly Smalling, joins CBS News to break down the findings.
The organization behind the study said it highlights "the need for legally binding agreements" to hold companies to account "for the entire life of the things they make."
The U.K. government will announce its plan to ban some single-use plastic products, mostly items used for takeout food and drinks, this weekend, CBS News has confirmed.
A new study found that blue whales off California's coast are consuming about 10,000,000 pieces of microplastics every day — an amount that could be potentially toxic to the whales and other animals that end up with the pollutants in their systems.
After a Republican revolt led by Elon Musk and Donald Trump torpedoed a plan to fund the government, a new path forward remains unclear as Congress lurches toward Friday night's deadline.
UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione will return to NYC today after waiving extradition in Pennsylvania.
Gisèle Pelicot said she had no regrets, but hope for the future after a judge sentenced her ex-husband to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping her for years.
President-elect Donald Trump was charged in a sprawling racketeering case related to the 2020 election.
A California judge issued a restraining order against a 20-year-old man who told FBI agents he'd been messaging with the Wisconsin shooter, authorities and court documents say.
Teamsters union says Amazon workers at seven warehouses plan to walk off the job Thursday morning in multiple states.
Drones have been banned from flying over nearly two dozen New Jersey towns until Jan. 17, the FAA says.
Oklahoma is preparing to execute Kevin Underwood, who killed a 10-year-old girl during a cannibalistic fantasy. It would be the 25th and last scheduled U.S. execution this year.
Senators advance bill that would expand Social Security benefits to millions of Americans, including teachers, firefighters and others with public pensions.
After a Republican revolt led by Elon Musk and Donald Trump torpedoed a plan to fund the government, a new path forward remains unclear as Congress lurches toward Friday night's deadline.
U.S. stocks are stabilizing following one of their worst days of the year.
UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione is returning to New York City after waiving extradition in Pennsylvania.
The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis must be removed from the 2020 election case against President-elect Donald Trump.
Oklahoma is preparing to execute Kevin Underwood, who killed a 10-year-old girl during a cannibalistic fantasy. It would be the 25th and last scheduled U.S. execution this year.
U.S. stocks are stabilizing following one of their worst days of the year.
Teamsters union says Amazon workers at seven warehouses plan to walk off the job Thursday morning in multiple states.
The stock market is down sharply today after the Federal Reserve forecast fewer interest rate cuts in 2025 than expected.
It's the last year the American Women Quarters Program will put historical female figures on reverse side of coins.
TP-Link routers could be banned in the U.S. over national security concerns, according to a report.
After a Republican revolt led by Elon Musk and Donald Trump torpedoed a plan to fund the government, a new path forward remains unclear as Congress lurches toward Friday night's deadline.
The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis must be removed from the 2020 election case against President-elect Donald Trump.
The new goal is part of the Paris Agreement, under which member nations must update their emission cut targets every five years.
Democrats elect a new party chair on Feb. 1, following the loss of the presidency and the Senate and the narrow failure to win the House in 2024.
Elliston Berry's life was turned upside down after a photo she posted on Instagram was digitally altered online to be pornographic.
A Louisiana patient is critically ill with severe respiratory symptoms from H5N1 bird flu, marking the 61st U.S. human case this year. California has declared a state of emergency. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Celine Gounder explains the public health risks.
Advocates say it is discrimination and are arguing for "insurance fairness" on the grounds that people who have joints surgically replaced typically don't face the same kinds of coverage challenges.
Seed oils are making headlines, prompting fears around whether they can have negative effects on your health. Here's what to know.
A person in Louisiana has the first severe illness caused by bird flu in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.
"The mystery has finally been solved," Congo's health ministry says, after an unidentified disease outbreak started killing mainly women and children in a remote region.
Russia's Vladimir Putin, in his annual marathon news conference, laments "serious blunders" by his security forces and says he'll meet Trump "any time" about Ukraine.
Two highway crashes in southeastern Afghanistan killed a combined total of 50 people and injured 76, a government spokesman says.
"Mayotte is demolished," an airport security agent told President Emmanuel Macron as he arrived in the remote French territory five days after Cyclone Chido.
Officers arrested a woman who was the missing male's partner and another man who was her ex-partner, police said.
The incident happened one day after a blast caused by another improvised landmine killed two Mexican soldiers and wounded five others.
Sixteen-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys celebrates her Broadway musical "Hell's Kitchen" earning a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. In an exclusive interview, she revisits her alma mater to honor the teacher who inspired her and surprises students.
For 90 years, the Apollo Theater has shaped American culture, launching icons like James Brown and Aretha Franklin. This year, it became the first institution honored by the Kennedy Center, cementing its legacy as a hub of innovation.
Since 2014, Variety's "Actors on Actors" has showcased one-on-one conversations between Hollywood stars, offering unique insights into their craft. Co-editor-in-chief and executive producer Ramin Setoodeh joins us to discuss the series' impact.
The three surviving core members of the Grateful Dead, Bobby Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart, talk to Anthony Mason about becoming Kennedy Center honorees, the band's legacy and loyal fans, and the magic of music and songwriting.
Surviving members of the Grateful Dead, Bobby Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart, revisit the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will hear an appeal from TikTok over a federal law that would ban the social media giant if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company. Jan Crawford has more.
Elliston Berry's life was turned upside down after a photo she posted on Instagram was digitally altered online to be pornographic.
From labor shortages to environmental impacts, farmers are looking to AI to help revolutionize the agriculture industry. One California startup, Farm-ng, is tapping into the power of AI and robotics to perform a wide range of tasks, including seeding, weeding and harvesting.
The Supreme Court plans to hear arguments in January on a challenge to a new law that could lead to the popular social media app TikTok being banned in the U.S. The Biden administration and lawmakers say the Chinese government's ability to collect data from TikTok poses a significant national security risk, while the app and its Chinese parent company ByteDance argue that the law is unconstitutional. CBS News Supreme Court producer Catherine Cole has more.
FAA data shows that lithium battery fires on U.S. flights have risen 388% since 2015, now occurring nearly twice a week.
Giant hornets, dubbed "murder hornets," have been eradicated in the U.S., five years after the invasive species was first detected in Washington state.
World coal use is set to reach an all-time high in 2024, the International Energy Agency says, in a year all but certain to be the hottest in recorded history.
From record-breaking temperatures to devastating disasters, 2024 brought the world closer to the reality of what climate change looks and feels like. CBS News national environmental correspondent David Schechter reports.
Researchers determined that dozens of men, women and children were violently killed and cannibalized in Bronze Age-era England.
In this episode of “ClimateWatch,” CBS national environmental correspondent David Schechter looks back at the devastating hurricanes, landslides, flooding and more that impacted the U.S. this year.
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case, has waived extradition and is being transported from Pennsylvania to New York. CBS News' Nicole Valdes has more.
UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione is returning to New York City after waiving extradition in Pennsylvania.
Luigi Mangione's lawyer says the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing is expected to waive extradition back to New York from Pennsylvania. CBS News' Nicole Valdes reports.
Officers arrested a woman who was the missing male's partner and another man who was her ex-partner, police said.
The incident happened one day after a blast caused by another improvised landmine killed two Mexican soldiers and wounded five others.
New analysis techniques and decades-old research helped NASA scientists identify an unusual black hole in a distant galaxy.
Here's why NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are stuck, but not stranded, at the International Space Station after launching into space in June.
NASA has delayed the return date for Boeing's Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. CBS News' Manuel Bojorquez reports on the decision to keep the two in space.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says he's optimistic the Trump administration will support the space agency's agenda.
Two astronauts who have been stuck in space since June will have to wait until at least the end of March to come home after NASA on Wednesday again pushed back their return date. Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer for the Franklin Institute, joined CBS News to discuss what's causing the delays.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Peterson's death sentence for the murder of his pregnant wife Laci has been overturned. Now his supporters are pushing for a complete retrial.
The seesaw marriage between the former ballerina and her much older husband only lasted four years, until she shot him on Sept. 27, 2020.
Cayley Mandadi's mother and stepfather go to extreme lengths to prove her death was no accident.
Live performances are in full swing this summer. Scroll through our concert gallery, featuring pictures by CBS News photojournalist Jake Barlow and photographers Ed Spinelli and Kirstine Walton.
Sixteen-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys celebrates her Broadway musical "Hell's Kitchen" earning a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. In an exclusive interview, she revisits her alma mater to honor the teacher who inspired her and surprises students.
For 90 years, the Apollo Theater has shaped American culture, launching icons like James Brown and Aretha Franklin. This year, it became the first institution honored by the Kennedy Center, cementing its legacy as a hub of innovation.
Imtiaz Tyab tours a Syrian facility linked to the production of a street drug popular in the Middle East. The operation allegedly funded the exiled dictator's regime, adding to the legacy of pain left behind.
A Louisiana patient is critically ill with severe respiratory symptoms from H5N1 bird flu, marking the 61st U.S. human case this year. California has declared a state of emergency. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Celine Gounder explains the public health risks.
Reality TV star Paris Hilton celebrated a legislative victory in Washington as lawmakers approved a bill to regulate youth treatment facilities. Hilton, who says she was abused as a teenager in such a center, has championed this cause for years.