The life of microplastic: how fragments move through plants, insects, animals – and you

Microplastics have been found in the placentas of unborn babies, the depths of the Mariana Trench, the summit of Everest and the organs of Antarctic penguins. But how do they travel through the world, and what do they do to the creatures that carry them? Here is the story of how plastic contaminates entire ecosystems - and even the food we eat. Illustrations by Claire Harrup