It seems like every day a new study finds tiny plastic particles called microplastics where they should not be: in our bodies and our food , water , and air . Yet finding and identifying microplastics is extremely challenging, especially given their small size. One microplastic can range from as large as a ladybug to as small as an eighth of a red blood cell. In addition, it can be hard for researchers to avoid unintentionally contaminating their samples, because these plastics are practically