Minnesota seventh-grader's plant gel removes up to 93.3% of microplastics

Isabella Garry, a seventh-grade student from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, tested whether gels made from common plants could absorb microplastics in a laboratory model of the stomach, finding they removed up to 93.3%. The project earned her a place among 30 finalists in the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge.