Microplastics can help dangerous bacteria to survive on Scottish beaches 

It has been understood for some time that microplastics provide a protective environment (the so-called "plastisphere") in which bacteria can survive in wastewater. For the first time, researchers at the University of Stirling, Scotland, have tracked how that could enable bacteria to survive the journey to the sea and make their way onto our beaches, where they can come into contact with humans.