{"id":423029,"date":"2026-01-25T13:14:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=423029"},"modified":"2026-01-25T13:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:14:28","slug":"the-brain-microplastics-claim-and-the-collapse-of-scientific-restraint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=423029","title":{"rendered":"The Brain Microplastics Claim and the Collapse of Scientific Restraint"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"687\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"423049\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=423049\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"784,1168\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0 human brain is now \u201cfull of plastic.\u201d\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?fit=687%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?resize=687%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A hyper-realistic model of a brain covered in colorful pieces of plastic, set against a backdrop of litter and waste.\" class=\"wp-image-423049\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?resize=687%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 687w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?resize=201%2C300&amp;ssl=1 201w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?resize=768%2C1144&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?resize=640%2C953&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?w=784&amp;ssl=1 784w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 687px) 100vw, 687px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In early 2025, a University of New Mexico study published in Nature Medicine (February 2025). Researchers analyzed autopsy brain samples and found surprisingly high concentrations of tiny plastic particles, with levels roughly 50% higher in 2024 samples compared to 2016 ones. The brain showed higher plastic accumulation than organs like the liver or kidneys, and even more in cases involving dementia (though causation wasn&#8217;t proven).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Headlines often sensationalized this by noting the total plastic mass in an average brain could equate to about the weight of a plastic spoon (around 7\u201310 grams in some estimates), or roughly 0.5% of brain mass by weight.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"687\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"423050\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=423050\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.1.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"784,1168\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0 human brain is now \u201cfull of plastic.\u201d1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.1.jpg?fit=687%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.1.jpg?resize=687%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A realistic model of a human brain, decorated with colorful plastic pieces and confetti, set against a background of newspapers highlighting environmental issues.\" class=\"wp-image-423050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.1.jpg?resize=687%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 687w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.1.jpg?resize=201%2C300&amp;ssl=1 201w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.1.jpg?resize=768%2C1144&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.1.jpg?resize=640%2C953&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.1.jpg?w=784&amp;ssl=1 784w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 687px) 100vw, 687px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">_________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2026\/01\/23\/the-brain-microplastics-claim-and-the-collapse-of-scientific-restraint\/\">Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/author\/jeeztheadmin\/\">Charles Rotter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"366\" data-attachment-id=\"423030\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=423030\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Screenshot-2026-01-25-122650.png?fit=1456%2C736&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1456,736\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0Screenshot 2026-01-25 122650\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Screenshot-2026-01-25-122650.png?fit=723%2C366&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Screenshot-2026-01-25-122650.png?resize=723%2C366&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"An abstract illustration depicting a brain silhouette with wavy lines suggesting sound or waves radiating from it.\" class=\"wp-image-423030\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Screenshot-2026-01-25-122650.png?resize=1024%2C518&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Screenshot-2026-01-25-122650.png?resize=300%2C152&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Screenshot-2026-01-25-122650.png?resize=768%2C388&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Screenshot-2026-01-25-122650.png?resize=640%2C324&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Screenshot-2026-01-25-122650.png?resize=1200%2C607&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Screenshot-2026-01-25-122650.png?w=1456&amp;ssl=1 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">For a brief and revealing moment, the public was told\u2014without irony\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/02\/04\/health\/spoonful-of-microplastics-found-in-peoples-brains-study\/\">that the human brain is now \u201cfull of plastic.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"849\" data-attachment-id=\"423034\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=423034\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?fit=1321%2C1551&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1321,1551\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0image-38\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?fit=723%2C849&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?resize=723%2C849&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Screenshot of a New York Post article titled 'New study finds entire spoonful of microplastics in people\u2019s brains \u2014 and 3 times as much in those with dementia' with an embedded video showing a gloved hand holding a syringe.\" class=\"wp-image-423034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?resize=872%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 872w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?resize=256%2C300&amp;ssl=1 256w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?resize=768%2C902&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?resize=1308%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1308w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?resize=640%2C751&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?resize=1200%2C1409&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-38.png?w=1321&amp;ssl=1 1321w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The phrase was not metaphorical. It was literal, repeated across major outlets with the confidence usually reserved for gravity or photosynthesis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Readers were assured that microplastics, and even nanoplastics, had accumulated in brain tissue at concentrations high enough to be weighed, compared, and graphed over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Some reports helpfully translated this into household imagery, offering estimates equivalent to spoons or teaspoons of plastic lodged in the mind. The implication was unmistakable: modern life had quietly transformed the brain into a synthetic landfill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-024-03453-1\">The study responsible for this frenzy appeared in a prestigious medical journal,<\/a>&nbsp;which lent it instant authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"534\" data-attachment-id=\"423036\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=423036\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-40.webp?fit=1030%2C760&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1030,760\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0image-40\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-40.webp?fit=723%2C534&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-40.webp?resize=723%2C534&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Screenshot of a research article titled 'Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains' published in Nature Medicine. Includes author names and publication details.\" class=\"wp-image-423036\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-40.webp?resize=1024%2C756&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-40.webp?resize=300%2C221&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-40.webp?resize=768%2C567&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-40.webp?resize=640%2C472&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-40.webp?w=1030&amp;ssl=1 1030w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-024-03453-1\">Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains | Nature Medicine<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The press release did the rest. Few journalists paused to ask the most basic question in analytical science: how, exactly, was \u201cplastic\u201d identified inside one of the most lipid-rich organs in the human body? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Fewer still asked whether the methods used were capable of distinguishing polymer fragments from ordinary biological molecules that share similar chemical signatures when thermally decomposed. The story was too good to slow down for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">And that is precisely where the embarrassment begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The central claim of the paper was straightforward enough on its face. Using pyrolysis gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS), the authors reported detecting polymer signatures-predominantly polyethylene-in samples of human brain tissue collected post-mortem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"> Concentrations were reported as higher than those found in other organs, and higher than those reported in earlier decades, suggesting accumulation over time. This was framed not merely as detection, but as evidence of increasing exposure and retention in neural tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">That framing collapses under even modest scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Py-GC-MS is not a magic \u201cplastic detector.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">It is a powerful but blunt instrument. The method works by heating a sample until it decomposes, then analyzing the resulting fragments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Those fragments are matched to reference spectra to infer what compounds were present before pyrolysis. This works well when the target material has a distinctive decomposition pattern and the surrounding matrix is simple or well-controlled. Brain tissue is neither.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Human brain tissue is composed largely of lipids- cholesterol, phospholipids, sphingolipids, long-chain fatty acids-many of which, when pyrolyzed, generate hydrocarbons and alkene fragments that overlap substantially with those produced by polyethylene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This is not an obscure technical footnote. It is a known, documented limitation of the method. In lipid-rich matrices, pyrolysis products from biological material can mimic polymer signatures unless digestion, cleanup, and marker selection are exceptionally rigorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-025-04045-3\">The critique published in response to the study<\/a>&nbsp;did not argue about policy, health impacts, or ideology. It argued about chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"500\" data-attachment-id=\"423038\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=423038\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-41.webp?fit=768%2C531&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"768,531\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0image-41\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-41.webp?fit=723%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-41.webp?resize=723%2C500&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Screenshot of an article titled 'Challenges in studying microplastics in human brain' published in Nature Medicine on November 13, 2025, listing authors and metrics.\" class=\"wp-image-423038\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-41.webp?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-41.webp?resize=300%2C207&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0image-41.webp?resize=640%2C443&amp;ssl=1 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-025-04045-3\">Challenges in studying microplastics in human brain | Nature Medicine<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Specifically, it pointed out that the reported dominance of polyethylene in brain samples is exactly what one would expect if residual lipids were being misidentified as polymer fragments. The markers used to infer polyethylene presence are not uniquely diagnostic in the context of partially digested brain tissue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Without exhaustive validation- using isotopically labeled controls, orthogonal analytical methods, and demonstrated exclusion of lipid interference- the conclusion that these signals represent plastic rather than biology is speculative at best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Speculative is not the word used in headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Equally troubling was the handling of contamination controls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Microplastics research lives and dies on blanks. Airborne fibers, laboratory tubing, solvents, filters, gloves, and even lab coats are all sources of polymer contamination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Serious studies devote enormous effort to procedural blanks, field blanks, recovery experiments, and transparent reporting of background levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The brain paper\u2019s quality control reporting, while present, was insufficient to support the extraordinary claims made on its behalf. This is a methodological shortcoming. But when methodological shortcomings underpin claims of plastic-laden brains, the distinction matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Another red flag was the remarkable uniformity of polymer type. Across samples, across organs, across time, polyethylene dominated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Real-world exposure does not work that way. Environmental microplastic mixtures are chemically diverse. Polypropylene, polystyrene, PET, PVC, and various copolymers are ubiquitous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">A biological accumulation process that somehow filters out nearly everything except polyethylene would require a mechanism so selective that it would itself be a major discovery. No such mechanism was demonstrated or even proposed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The simpler explanation- that the analytical method preferentially \u201csees\u201d polyethylene- like pyrolysis products in lipid-rich tissue- was never meaningfully addressed in the public narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This is where the episode shifts from merely flawed to genuinely embarrassing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Because once the technical critique appeared, it became clear that the most sensational aspect of the claim- the brain itself- was also the most analytically vulnerable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The very property that makes brain tissue interesting for alarmist storytelling, its centrality and sensitivity, is what makes it uniquely difficult to analyze using pyrolysis-based methods. Fat looks like plastic when burned. That is chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">None of this means that microplastics cannot, in principle, reach brain tissue. It means that this particular evidence does not establish that they have, let alone that they accumulate in meaningful quantities, let alone that they cause harm. Detection is not dose. Dose is not pathology. Pathology is not inevitability. Each step requires its own evidence, and skipping steps does not make the staircase shorter; it just makes the fall harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The media treatment of the study followed a depressingly familiar pattern. A technically complex paper with severe limitations was distilled into a single shocking sentence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">That sentence was repeated, embellished, and illustrated with stock photos of plastic waste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Caveats, where they appeared at all, were buried deep in the text or outsourced to future research. By the time critical responses emerged, the narrative had already done its work. The image of plastic-stuffed brains had entered the cultural bloodstream, immune to correction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">To its credit, some mainstream outlets eventually noticed the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Articles began to appear noting that key findings were being challenged, that analytical methods might be misfiring, and that false positives were a serious concern. This was presented as an update, not a reckoning. The original headlines were not retracted. The damage was simply allowed to age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This is how advocacy ecosystems behave when the conclusion precedes the measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The deeper issue exposed by the brain microplastics episode is a structural incentive problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"> There is enormous prestige in being first to claim that a new part of the human body has been \u201cinvaded\u201d by modern pollution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">There is far less prestige in publishing a careful null result or a paper explaining why a method cannot yet answer the question being asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Journals reward novelty. Media rewards fear. And so, the system reliably produces dramatic claims perched on fragile analytical scaffolding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Once that scaffolding is examined, the claims wobble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The embarrassment, then, is not that scientists are studying microplastics in the body. That is a legitimate research question.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The embarrassment is that a claim as extraordinary as widespread plastic accumulation in the human brain was allowed to escape into public discourse without being anchored to analytical certainty.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The embarrassment is that chemistry was treated as a mere technicality rather than the foundation of the entire conclusion. The embarrassment is that skepticism- real skepticism, the disciplined refusal to accept claims without robust evidence- was framed as denial rather than diligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">If the brain study had been reported honestly, the story would have been mundane: preliminary measurements using a challenging method in a difficult tissue type suggest possible signals that require extensive validation and independent replication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>That story would not have gone viral. It would not have justified sweeping narratives about modernity poisoning the mind. And it would not have served as rhetorical fuel for policy arguments that were already queued up in advance.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the public was handed a conclusion masquerading as a discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">When future readers look back on this episode, they are unlikely to remember the technical details of pyrolysis markers or lipid interference. They will remember the image. And when the image eventually dissolves under the weight of better measurement- and it will- <strong>the episode will stand as another example of how easily scientific restraint is abandoned when a frightening story is available for the telling.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">That is the cost of ignoring it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In early 2025, a University of New Mexico study published in Nature Medicine (February 2025). Researchers analyzed autopsy brain samples and found surprisingly high concentrations of tiny plastic particles, with levels roughly 50% higher in 2024 samples compared to 2016 ones. The brain showed higher plastic accumulation than organs like the liver or kidneys, and even more in cases involving dementia (though causation wasn&#8217;t proven).<\/p>\n<p>Headlines often sensationalized this by noting the total plastic mass in an average brain could equate to about the weight of a plastic spoon (around 7\u201310 grams in some estimates), or roughly 0.5% of brain mass by weight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":423049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"Discover how a controversial study claimed human brains are accumulating microplastics, sparking debate over scientific credibility and media narratives.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Microplastics in Human Brains: Unpacking the Controversy","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvY2xpbWF0ZS1zY2llbmNlLnByZXNzXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDI2XC8wMVwvMC1odW1hbi1icmFpbi1pcy1ub3ctZnVsbC1vZi1wbGFzdGljLTY4N3gxMDI0LmpwZyIsInR4dCI6IlRoZSBCcmFpbiBNaWNyb3BsYXN0aWNzIENsYWltIGFuZCB0aGUgQ29sbGFwc2Ugb2YgU2NpZW50aWZpYyBSZXN0cmFpbnQiLCJ0ZW1wbGF0ZSI6ImhpZ2h3YXkiLCJmb250IjoiIiwiYmxvZ19pZCI6MTU1ODEyNDQ5fQ.gMYF2Za73MqqoEK1ZB8cqf5m85v2eOaNoUk_KUM33-8MQ"},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818169,691827174,691818640,691821111,691825965,691840920,691828140,691840922,691840921,691840923],"class_list":["post-423029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bad-science","tag-bad-science-journalism","tag-brain","tag-dementia","tag-microplastics","tag-nanoplastics","tag-plastic","tag-polyethylene","tag-pyrolysis-gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry-py-gc-ms","tag-university-of-new-mexico","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1M33","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":422672,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=422672","url_meta":{"origin":423029,"position":0},"title":"New Lawsuit Claims Ziploc Plastic Bags Dose Food with Microplastics","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/23\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The complaint contends that despite the risk of microplastic exposure and food contamination, there is no warning, disclaimer or disclosure on product packaging.","rel":"","context":"In \"economy\"","block_context":{"text":"economy","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=economy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQNKrISJ4yl3O-SNEoG1skBlynqVeAtdz4mMS8R-HOpGLt465RrYAfmbUuCmJfUZbyutn5uwAGZyraw2UFUolrLWC_8mq9J_DjPjONm0U-ekU_vlaIgankuFjNBO_2w-1.jpeg?fit=680%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQNKrISJ4yl3O-SNEoG1skBlynqVeAtdz4mMS8R-HOpGLt465RrYAfmbUuCmJfUZbyutn5uwAGZyraw2UFUolrLWC_8mq9J_DjPjONm0U-ekU_vlaIgankuFjNBO_2w-1.jpeg?fit=680%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQNKrISJ4yl3O-SNEoG1skBlynqVeAtdz4mMS8R-HOpGLt465RrYAfmbUuCmJfUZbyutn5uwAGZyraw2UFUolrLWC_8mq9J_DjPjONm0U-ekU_vlaIgankuFjNBO_2w-1.jpeg?fit=680%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":419452,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=419452","url_meta":{"origin":423029,"position":1},"title":"Blockbuster: Renewables, EVs need silver, yet China bans silver exports, and the price takes off","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Global industrial demand now accounts for 50\u201360% of silver consumption, driven by solar (projected to consume massive volumes as capacity grows), EVs, electronics, 5G, and AI data centers. The market has faced structural deficits for five consecutive years (e.g., ~230-million-ounce shortfall in 2025), eroding inventories.","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQP-w7PKfn-flRHnXuZE09PtcVrpqA2yTu0xaPPTRZqlm0WDMuU1HmBtsyXMH0FlzsWsCqrl3PzzDPXzCfABu1g-Qz3ZYPug5k1ckFR0EGZt2VI6mLozGl4dLjb32Io-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C664&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQP-w7PKfn-flRHnXuZE09PtcVrpqA2yTu0xaPPTRZqlm0WDMuU1HmBtsyXMH0FlzsWsCqrl3PzzDPXzCfABu1g-Qz3ZYPug5k1ckFR0EGZt2VI6mLozGl4dLjb32Io-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C664&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQP-w7PKfn-flRHnXuZE09PtcVrpqA2yTu0xaPPTRZqlm0WDMuU1HmBtsyXMH0FlzsWsCqrl3PzzDPXzCfABu1g-Qz3ZYPug5k1ckFR0EGZt2VI6mLozGl4dLjb32Io-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C664&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQP-w7PKfn-flRHnXuZE09PtcVrpqA2yTu0xaPPTRZqlm0WDMuU1HmBtsyXMH0FlzsWsCqrl3PzzDPXzCfABu1g-Qz3ZYPug5k1ckFR0EGZt2VI6mLozGl4dLjb32Io-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C664&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQP-w7PKfn-flRHnXuZE09PtcVrpqA2yTu0xaPPTRZqlm0WDMuU1HmBtsyXMH0FlzsWsCqrl3PzzDPXzCfABu1g-Qz3ZYPug5k1ckFR0EGZt2VI6mLozGl4dLjb32Io-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C664&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":303837,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=303837","url_meta":{"origin":423029,"position":2},"title":"Climate alarmists like Senator Whitehouse are fueling anxiety in young people","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/22\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In Episode 418 of District of Conservation, Gabriella discusses the NYC City Council mulling a tide pod ban under the guise of curbing microplastic pollution and how climate activists are inducing anxiety in the public. Tune in to learn more!","rel":"","context":"In \"climate anxiety\u2060\"","block_context":{"text":"climate anxiety\u2060","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-anxiety%e2%81%a0"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Final-Sheldon.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Final-Sheldon.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Final-Sheldon.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Final-Sheldon.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Final-Sheldon.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":281523,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=281523","url_meta":{"origin":423029,"position":3},"title":"The Unseen Emissions: Tire Dust and the Environmental Mirage of Electric Vehicles","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/02\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"From Watts Up With That? https:\/\/www.thedrive.com\/news\/tire-dust-makes-up-the-majority-of-ocean-microplastics-study-finds Just when we thought we had a grip on the major culprits of pollution, a new villain emerges from the shadows. And this time, it\u2019s not the ominous black smoke billowing from exhaust pipes or the industrial chimneys spewing toxins into the atmosphere. No,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"bulky batteries\"","block_context":{"text":"bulky batteries","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bulky-batteries"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-26.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-26.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-26.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-26.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":377297,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=377297","url_meta":{"origin":423029,"position":4},"title":"Narrative Based Evidence Making`","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Narrative:\u00a0 In its simplest form, a narrative is\u00a0the telling of a story, or the story itself. A narrative is just that, neither good nor bad, it is just a way of talking\/writing about something.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5f3c4f30cb34dc2ac325aab70c566517.jpeg?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5f3c4f30cb34dc2ac325aab70c566517.jpeg?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5f3c4f30cb34dc2ac325aab70c566517.jpeg?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5f3c4f30cb34dc2ac325aab70c566517.jpeg?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5f3c4f30cb34dc2ac325aab70c566517.jpeg?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":319059,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=319059","url_meta":{"origin":423029,"position":5},"title":"Microplastics, Global Greening, &amp; the Dangers of Radical Alarmism | Dr. Patrick Moore | EP 439","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/20\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with industry consultant, science activist, and past president of Greenpeace Canada (1971 to 1986), Dr. Patrick Moore. They discuss his time in Greenpeace, the historic timeline of global ice ages and climate change, the clear lies being peddled to promote alarmism, and how the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Dr. Patrick Moore\"","block_context":{"text":"Dr. Patrick Moore","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=dr-patrick-moore"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Screenshot-2024-04-20-135420.png?fit=988%2C560&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Screenshot-2024-04-20-135420.png?fit=988%2C560&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Screenshot-2024-04-20-135420.png?fit=988%2C560&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Screenshot-2024-04-20-135420.png?fit=988%2C560&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=423029"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":423052,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423029\/revisions\/423052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/423049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=423029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=423029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=423029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}