Microplastics are everywhere — in oceans, ecosystems, workplaces and even within our own bodies. But how do researchers study something so invisible, pervasive and deeply entangled with everyday life?
In Episode 7 of Earth to Research, “Care and Microplastics Science in Three Acts”, Lucy Sabin is joined by social scientist Ryan Shum for a fascinating exploration of the human stories, ethical tensions and material realities behind microplastics research.
Structured through three intimate fieldwork encounters — in the laboratory, the lunchroom and on the beach — the episode uncovers the fragile and painstaking work involved in making microplastics visible to science. From researchers carefully transporting microscopic samples that can disappear with a single misplaced breath, to beach-cleaning communities struggling with what to do with the vast quantities of plastic they collect, Ryan reveals the emotional and practical complexities of living and working in a world saturated by plastic pollution.
The conversation also examines the contradictions embedded within environmental research itself. What does it mean when laboratories studying pollution depend heavily on single-use plastics? Can care exist within systems that are themselves entangled in unsustainable practices? Rather than offering easy answers, the episode invites listeners to sit with these tensions and rethink how responsibility, ethics and environmental action are understood.
Combining storytelling, social science and environmental reflection, this episode offers a fresh perspective on pollution — not simply as a technical problem to solve, but as a lived condition that reshapes relationships between people, materials and ecosystems.
Thought-provoking and deeply atmospheric, “Care and Microplastics Science in Three Acts” challenges us to think differently about research, waste and what it means to care in times of ecological crisis.
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