A new study builds a theory of how spherical microplastics interact with the dynamic flows of a 3D environment, such as an ocean. The resulting model suggests that microplastics tend to form twisted, closed loops beneath the surface that spiral upwards and downwards. NASA estimates that over eight million tons of microplastics flow into our oceans every year, and these microscopic beads can be found everywhere from to our brains. While this movement may hold true for certain microplastics, the authors note that varying parameters can alter these flows. The theory is valid for spherical particles, but most microplastics in the ocean have very irregular shapes,” Pratt said in a press statement.