Got Microplastic Anxiety? Chris Hemsworth Has A Solution

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Last Updated on: 15th August 2025, 02:02 pm

Cultivating a healthy brain is one of three topics to get the Chris Hemsworth treatment in the second round of National Geographic’s popular Limitless series, and it could not have come at a better time now that everyone is freaking out about microplastics in our brains. As Hemsworth capably demonstrates in Limitless: Live Better Now, the human brain is still alive and kicking. As for microplastics, let’s just say there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. Solutions are at hand, but it’s going to be a tough row to hoe.

Microplastics: The State Of Play

When scientists say that our brains are loaded with microplastics, they don’t mean our skulls are packed with tiny little beads that might blast out of our noses when we sneeze. They’re talking about truly microscopic and nanoscale shards of plastic trash, down to just 2–3 times the size of a typical virus.

Scientists have been trying to ring the alarm bell about microplastics for years, and they finally broke through the public awareness barrier in February, when researchers at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences program published a paper in the journal Nature Medicine under the eye-catching title “Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains.”

That’s decedent as in deceased, not decadent. Still, the point is the same. As described by UNM, the researchers “have detected microplastics in human brains at much higher concentrations than in other organs — and the plastic accumulation appears to be growing over time, having increased 50% over just the past eight years.”

The study authors noted that polyethylene is the main culprit. “Brain tissues harbor higher proportions of polyethylene compared to the composition of the plastics in liver or kidney, and electron microscopy verified the nature of the isolated brain MNPs [microscopic and nanoscale plastics], which present largely as nanoscale shard-like fragments,” they observed.

They were also able to track the 50% increase by comparing MNP accumulation in the brains of people who died in 2024, against those who died in 2016. Other than the year of death, they found no significant difference in accumulation by age, sex, race/ethnicity, or cause of death.

This Is Your Brain On Microplastics

As for the impact on human cognition, the researchers did find higher MNP accumulation in the brains of people with documented cases of dementia. That sounds pretty alarming, but the study revealed coincidence, not causation. The researchers conclude by advocating for more, well, research.

While that is going on, let’s take the long view. For various reasons — including having to work for a living — much of the human race has underutilized its brain since the dawn of recorded history. The question now is what a microplastic-saturated brain is capable of today. Assuming that Chris Hemsworth is at least nominally exposed to microplastic pollution like the rest of us, Limitless provides one answer: Lots.

The new series comes under the title, Limitless: Live Better Now, with an emphasis on Now. You can catch the whole three-part series today, streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, or wait until August 25 when it unspools on National Geographic.

Not to give too much away, but the “Brain Power” episode takes on two challenges at once, tasking Hemsworth with mastering an extremely complicated musical instrument in a short period of time, and then performing on said instrument before a live audience of 70,000 screaming fans who came to see Ed Sheeran.

For the record, the three-parter was produced by A-list filmmakers Protozoa (Darren Aronofsky), Nutopia (Jane Root), and Wild State (Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson).

Pollution Solutions: It’s Complicated

A quick search of the Intertubes reveals a laundry list of tactics one can employ to help reduce the amount of microplastics you slurp up in food and drink, at least for now. However, the pesky little things will eventually find their way into anything. Over the long term a more complete solution is needed, and that means cutting them off at the source.

If transforming the entire global plastics industry into an eco-friendly force for good is not on your bingo card, join the club. However, new research the field of advanced materials does suggest that the future of the fossil-sourced plastics is not set in stone.

In the meantime, researchers are beginning to identify near-term, high impact tactics that can significantly reduce microplastic pollution.

A recent study of microplastic pollution in Malaysia’s marine environments, for example, identifies several priority areas. The study was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances in February under the somewhat cumbersome title, “Combating microplastic pollution in Malaysia’s marine ecosystems using technological solutions, policy instruments, and public participation: A review.”

The researchers take note of new monitoring programs and improved sensing technologies that enable cleaner-uppers to identify priority targets more precisely. “Pilot projects using biodegradable polymers have decreased microplastic release by 15 %, pointing to promising shifts in material usage,” they also observe.

“Stricter plastic waste management regulations have been implemented by the Malaysian government, including plastic bag bans in select states, resulting in a 30 % reduction in plastic bag usage and a corresponding decrease in microplastic inputs to marine ecosystems,” they add.

Community engagement, of course, also plays a role. The researchers credit new monitoring programs with raising public awareness about microplastic pollution, contributing to a 40% increase in voluntary cleanup efforts. So much for the good news. On the down side, the research team takes note of significant barriers including “the lack of a comprehensive national strategy, insufficient enforcement of existing policies, and limited awareness, especially in rural communities.”

The California Solution To Plastic Pollution

On the bright side, some jurisdictions have begun to put Chris Hemsworth-worthy effort into breaking down those barriers. Back in 2022, for example, the California Ocean Protection Council yesterday approved a new soup-to-nuts microplastics strategy. Billed as the first of its kind in the US, the plan describes action steps and research priorities for reducing plastic pollution from the 5 millimeter (about 0.2″) size on down.

The going has been slow, but one key step occurred in June when the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) formally proposed adding microplastics to the Candidate Chemicals List. The list touches off a chain of action steps, starting with an assessment of consumer products that contribute to the mess, and leading to the potential for regulation under the state’s Priority Products rules.

“A Priority Product is a consumer product that contains one or more Candidate Chemicals that have the potential to harm people or the environment, and that has been formally listed in the California Code of Regulations through rulemaking,” DTSC explains.

An increasing number of US states and local jurisdictions are also beginning to take steps, such as restricting the use of single-use plastic bags. Drop a note in the comment thread if you’ve noticed any new activity in your area.

Photo (cropped): Chris Hemsworth joins up with neuroscientists to demonstrate the benefits of learning a new skill in “Brain Power,” one of three episodes in the new National Geographic series Limitless: Live Better Now (courtesy of Disney via DropBox).