A study by scientists has shown that the digestive systems of many species have become a barrier that protects
This poses an additional risk for many species of invertebrates - particles can be absorbed through these mobile cells, and later affect the functioning of internal organs and cause damage.
Fortunately, this process is not repeated in humans and other vertebrates, but nanomaterials can still have a negative impact on the food chain.
The study involved scientists from the UK, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Portugal and focused on particles up to 100 nanometers in size.
The study combined existing and newresearch on species, including insects and other invertebrates, fish, birds and mammals, and identified gaps in knowledge about reptiles and amphibians. The report provides the first comprehensive review of how differences in gut structure may affect the effects of ENM on the animal kingdom.
This team's work combines nearly 100 years of zoological research with scientists' modern understanding of nanotechnology.
Threats posed by engineerednanomaterials are becoming more widely known, but this study provides the first comprehensive species-level assessment of how they might pose current and future threats. It should lay the foundations for understanding dietary hazards in the animal kingdom.
Richard Handy, professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Plymouth and senior author of the study
Read also
See what Hubble's successor telescope can see in space
The history of the origin of "strange" meteorites is revealed: they fell to Earth in the 60s
There was a photo of how desert dust "flows" into the Atlantic Ocean