Kieu Tran (2024-2025) Research: Genotoxic effects of environmental nanoplastics in Drosophila melanogaster - ASR Laboratory, Odessa High School, Odessa, WA (2025) Over the past seventy years there has been an increase in plastic production, rising from 1.5 million tons in the 1950 to 2020. Plastics significantly influence human lives currently, especially the consumption of nanoplastics; studies have shown that humans consume 52,000 particles of plastic annually. There are multiple sources of plastics that come from the ocean and contaminate food that humans consume. By consuming these plastics continuously, it leads to the destruction of human health, majorly including oxidative stress, changes and damages to genetics, and lung damage. To stop the consumption of plastics is the only way to stop the demolition of the human body. Oregon-R Drosophila melanogaster flies that are fed nanoplastics will have a genotoxic effect that causes the wings and eyes of the flies to become smaller. The average wing area of the control group was 121.8±48.8 mm2 while the average wing area of the experimental group (flies fed microplastics) was 91.2±48.5 mm2. After one generation of flies fed on microplastics, there was no statistical difference. The next phase is to compare future generations of flies fed on microplastics to observe any differences in wing and eye size. Recognition: 2025 - 1st Place Overall Finalist: Senior Division, Ribbon, Monetary Award, EWRSEF, Spokane, WA - Senior Division Award in Biomedical & Health Sciences, EWRSEF, Spokane, WA - 1st Place Senior Division Award in Biomedical & Health Sciences, Trophy, Ribbon, WSSEF, Bremerton, WA - United States Metric Association Award, Certificate, WSSEF, Bremerton, WA |
