Microplastics – minuscule pieces of plastic broken down from larger plastic waste – are a growing concern for human health, especially for the liver. A study from the University of Oklahoma, published today in Science Advances, demonstrates that a common type of microplastics is particularly harmful to the liver under high-fat dietary conditions.

University of Oklahoma researcher Wenjing “Lily” Wu, Ph.D., who studies age-related macular degeneration (AMD), isn’t driven solely by scientific curiosity but also by vision loss that has affected generations of her family.

Amyn M. Amlani, Ph.D., a nationally recognized audiologist, researcher and health economist, has been named professor and chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Oklahoma College of Allied Health. He began the role on June 1.

Building on its two-decade journey from a philanthropic vision to a worldwide research enterprise committed to preventing, treating, and curing diabetes, the University of Oklahoma Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center has named John P. Kirwan, Ph.D., FACSM, a world-leading translational scientist, as its next director, effective Sept. 1, pending approval from the OU Board of Regents.

As childhood obesity and diabetes continue to rise worldwide, a researcher at the University of Oklahoma is investigating whether a simple addition to a breastfeeding mother’s diet – chia seeds – could help lower a child’s future risk of these conditions while improving the mother’s own health. Packed with fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and beneficial plant compounds like polyphenols, chia seeds have been shown to improve factors linked to obesity and Type 2 diabetes.