Mighty War Against the Pandemic of Plastic Consumption

A grayscale phase-contrast microscopic image of several irregularly shaped biological cells adhered to a flat surface. Eight specific areas within the cells, containing dense clusters of small, dark granular structures or organelles, are highlighted with red circles of varying sizes. A solid black scale bar is visible in the bottom-right corner.

Label: Mighty War Against the Pandemic of Plastic Consumption
Artist: Sonia Kiran
Description: This piece of art shows the accumulation of plastic particles within human cells. The potential health hazards of plastics in humans are largely unknown; however, they can certainly degrade into micro and nano sizes and enter the human body. This image was captured using a phase-contrast microscope and shows microplastics that are 1 µm in size having entered human neuron-like cells and surrounding the nucleus. This image speaks out loud that if we do not control our plastic consumption, the day is not far when humans will become “plastic humans.”
Type: Microscope
Artist Affiliation: Graduate Student
Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Area of Research: Immunotherapy and Stem-cell Differentiation
Research Group Site: Dr. Qing-Xiang Amy Sang
Date: 2022