Researchers shocked by results after feeding crickets unusual substance: '[They] continued to eat it for the rest of their life'

Researchers shocked by results after feeding crickets unusual substance: '[They] continued to eat it for the rest of their life'

Noah Jampol

Tue, December 9, 2025 at 12:05 AM UTC

3 min read

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

Generate Key Takeaways

It's no wonder that humans can ingest microplastics unwittingly, as they're a fraction of the size of our food. What's more surprising is that a recent study indicates that crickets are doing the same because they simply can't distinguish microplastics from their similar-sized food.

What's happening?

The American Chemical Society shared a study published in Environmental Science & Technology that examined how crickets interact with polyethylene microplastics. Crickets are "generalist" insects that consume almost everything. That makes them perfect test subjects, as the scientists noted in a press release.

In the experiment, house crickets were offered a choice between plastic-contaminated and uncontaminated food. Initially, they showed no preference, but over time, they consumed more plastic-laden food. They could only consume particles that were smaller than their mouth.

"Once a particle was big enough to be eaten, crickets continued to eat it for the rest of their life," researcher Marshall Ritchie noted.

Interestingly, the scientists revealed that the microplastic consumption didn't hinder the crickets' growth, as their size increased by 25 times and their mouth size enlarged as well. That bucked the trend of negative effects on other small creatures, such as snails or earthworms.

Another finding was that crickets' digestion led to the breakdown of microplastics into even smaller, potentially more harmful particles called nanoplastics. That phenomenon was decreased in larger crickets.

Why is crickets' interaction with microplastics important?

While crickets don't seem to be negatively affected by microplastics, unlike humans and other animals, the news isn't all good. The fact that crickets can't distinguish between microplastics and food could harm less lucky generalist insects that become exposed to microplastics.

Additionally, crickets' role in breaking down microplastics into even more diminutive nanoplastics could come with other negative consequences for the ecosystem. The smaller a microplastic, the easier it is to be accidentally consumed or spread deeper into nature.

Overall, microplastics are a growing concern for researchers due to a series of potential negative health impacts, including impact on reproduction and cardiovascular function.

What's being done about microplastics?

Tons of research is going into learning about the dangers of microplastics as well as their prominence in the oceans and the environment.

Efforts to mitigate microplastic pollution are underway. Some regions have banned single-use plastic bottles and bags, and there are a host of organizations working to rein in plastic pollution in the environment. Plastic alternatives are another approach to combating the problem.

You can do your own part by using less plastic and responsibly recycling it when you do use it.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.

About Our Ads

Source