CORRESPONDENCE

Microplastics pollution pathways to groundwater in India

Plastics are typically organic polymers of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy abundance and distribution of microplas-
high molecular mass, but they often con- for a better understanding of the potential tics has significant potential for future
tain other toxic substances which may sources of microplastics6. environmental pollution-based research,
disturb the ecological resilience. Due to Furthermore, microplastics in ground- disruption in ecosystem services, and
the high volume of plastics being used, water due to contamination of the aquifer ecological stability and resilience. In
microplastics are emerging as pollutants system, which is extensively used for comparison, the exposure of microplas-
with their small particles size (<5 mm), drinking purpose across the globe, are tics to the food chain, along with human
which is impacting not only the terrestri- being contributed mainly through waste- beings, has still been unexplored in the
al and marine ecosystems, but also the water treatment plants, septic effluent, Indian ecosystem. Therefore, the recent
freshwater environs1–3. In addition to etc. The transport and reaction of micro- study by Ganesan et al.1 on microplastics
being present in different surface water plastics have also been found in the aqui- in drinking water and groundwater would
bodies, microplastics have recently been fer system. Microplastics act as a vector be a new discourse regarding nano-
reported in groundwater resources in for transporting other contaminants, such plastics from sediments, groundwater
India, which is normally being used for as heavy metals, trace metals, etc. to both and surface-water systems, along with
drinking purpose in Chennai, Tamil terrestrial and aquatic environs. Ganesan transfer into the food chain. Policies for
Nadu1. Ganesan et al.1 reported plastic et al.1 also confirmed the transport of proper implementation of solid/liquid
debris less than 5 mm as microplastic at heavy metals through adsorption onto the waste management system need to be
the target zone (below the ground sur- surface of microplastics and potential reinforced to prevent the transport of
face). Furthermore, they categorized anthropogenic sources in groundwater at microplastics into the groundwater and
microplastics as primary and secondary Pallipattu, Pallikaranai and Kovur, along minimize their presence in sediments,
types1. The primary and secondary mi- with the presence of essential elements aquatic organisms and human beings.
croplastic types are categorized based on such as carbon, oxygen, sodium, magne-
their production and degradation4. The sium, aluminium, silicon, chloride,
microplastics content in groundwater potassium and calcium in all three cate- 1. Ganesan, M., Nallathambi, G. and Sriniva-
salu, S., Curr. Sci., 2019, 117, 1879–1885.
was analysed using a number of samples gories of water (surface water, ground-
2. Sarkar, D. J., Sarkar, S. D., Das, B. K.,
to examine their actual concentration1. It water and commercial drinking water).
Manna, R. K., Behera, B. K. and Samanta,
was concluded that the microplastics Microplastics pollution is also re- S., Sci. Total Environ., 2019, 694, 133712.
content in groundwater was due to anth- ported in sediments of lakes, estuaries 3. Sruthy, S. and Ramasamy, E., Environ.
ropogenic activities such as agricultural and coastal beaches in India3,6. Apart Pollut., 2017, 222, 315–322.
farming, fishing, wastewater treatment from sediments, limited studies have 4. Cauwenberghe, L.V., Devriese, L., Galga-
works, household activities, etc.1. been conducted so far on samples from ni, F., Robbens, J. and Janssen, C. R., Mar.
Ganesan et al.1 used cellulose nitrate freshwater ecosystems2 and ground- Environ. Res., 2015, 111, 5–17.
filter paper (0.45 μm) equipped with water1. However, several natural ecosys- 5. McCormick, A., Hoellein, T. J., Mason, S.
vacuum filtration for microplastics tems, such as mangroves, coastal and A., Schluep, J. and Kelly, J. J., Environ.
Sci. Technol., 2014, 48, 11863–11871.
extraction from the collected water freshwater wetlands, aquifer systems,
6. Veerasingam, S., Saha, M., Suneel, V.,
samples. McCormick et al.5 used the springs, lakes, agricultural soil, surface
Vethamony, P., Rodrigues, A. C., Bhatta-
Neuston net (333 μm) for extraction of water, etc. need to be studied to deter- charyya, S. and Naik, B., Chemosphere,
microplastics from surface water in Chi- mine the extent of microplastics pollu- 2016, 159, 496–505.
cago River, USA. Subsequently, scan- tion and the potential strategies for
ning electron microscope equipped with remediation. The accumulation of micro-
energy-dispersive X-rays was used to plastics mainly in sediments and water RAKESH KUMAR
identify shape, colour and count of the samples in various ecosystems has led to PRABHAKAR SHARMA*
microplastics, and also to determine the banning the use of plastics across the
associated heavy metals adsorbed onto globe, including India. The Government School of Ecology and Environment
their surface5. Fibrous and fragment- of India has affirmatively banned plastic Studies,
shaped microplastics were reported in bags (<50 μm thickness) since 2016. The Nalanda University,
water samples of Chennai, and polymeric National Green Tribunal has prohibited Rajgir 803 116, India
characteristics were determined using disposable plastics since 2017. Assessing *e-mail: [email protected]

Discovery of fossil dragonfly from India – a rejoinder

Insect fossil records are relatively rare in were reported from the 50–52 million- been discovered from geographically
India. Diverse arthropod taxa with more year-old (Cenozoic) amber Cambay closer mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber
than 55 families and 100 species, except Shale, Gujarat1. However, over 50 spe- (circa 100 million years)2. Modern Odo-
Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) cies of much older Odonata fossils have nata appeared during the Triassic with

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Figure 1. a, Drawing of the fossil. b, Drawing superimposed on the fossil image.

Anisoptera originating in the Jurassic and The fossil reported from Chotanagpur abdomen), or even an arthropod (e.g.
based on the available fossil records, the plateau was identified as that of a dra- segmented body and appendages). The
minimum age for different crown groups gonfly (order Odonata). The authors authors also mentioned that the fossil
has been calibrated3. The order Odonata describe the characters observed in the resembles extant Libellua depressa Lin-
is paleopterous (i.e. unable to fold wings fossil such as four wings, nodus, pteros- naeus, 1758 (Anisoptera: Libellulidae)
over the abdomen at rest) with direct tigma, wing venation, compound eyes, without providing any supporting evi-
flight muscles and is distinguished by thorax, abdomen and terminalia and a dence for identification of the family,
several plesiomorphic characters, includ- drawing was presented. A critical exami- genus or species. Hence, we refute the
ing distinct nodus and pterostigma in the nation of image of the fossil and the illu- claim of discovery of the fossil dragonfly
wings4. The evolutionary antiquity of the stration does not support the claim. In the and propose an alternative interpretation
taxa has been a fascination for biologists fossil, no ‘compound eyes’, ‘thorax’, of the data.
and palaeontologists to understand the ‘wings’, ‘nodus’, ‘pterostigma’, ‘abdo- The fossil dragonfly is redrawn and
past history of the earth. men’, ‘terminalia’ and ‘legs’ are discern- presented with labels (Figure 1 a and b).
This journal has recently reported the able. In the illustration, the ‘compound’ We interpret that the fossil does not be-
discovery of a fossil dragonfly from the eyes are wrongly placed over the thorax longs to any insect but the winged seed
late Neogene sediments of the Chotanag- and legs are shown attached to the of tropical low-land tree family Diptero-
pur plateau, India5. The image of the fos- abdomen. The ‘fore and hind wings’ are carpaceae, most probably that of Shorea
sil was also featured on the coverpage. indistinct and bilaterally asymmetric. sp. which was widespread during the
Based on the published description of the There are no characters which suggest Neogene in South Asia6. The ‘wings of
fossil photograph and drawing, we pro- that the fossil belongs to a dragonfly dragonfly’ are actually the wing-like en-
pose an alternative interpretation of the (e.g. dissimilar fore and hind wing with larged calyx lobe with parallel venation
data and contest the claim of discovery distinct nodus and pterostigma), or insect which is similar to the fossil calyx lobe
of the dragonfly fossil. (e.g. body divided into head, thorax and of Shorea sp.6 and also present in the

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 NEWS
extant Shorea sp. Interestingly and pro- head’ of the dragonfly are the seed part 4. Grimaldi, D. and Engel, S. M., Evolution
bably overlooked by the authors5, a clear of Shorea sp. The ‘leg’ may be a frag- of the Insects, Cambridge University Press,
leaf impression is visible in the published ment of the calyx. Since there is the pos- New York, USA, 2005, p. 755.
fossil image which is superimposed over sibility of an alternative interpretation for 5. Hazra, M. et al., Curr. Sci., 2020, 119(7),
1204–1207.
the ‘dragonfly abdomen’. The ‘abdomen’ the fossil, it may be further studied with
6. Khan, M. A. et al., Rev. Palaeobot.
is actually the third calyx of the seed high-resolution imaging to unequivocally Palynol., 2016, 233, 236–254.
(Figure 1) and the elliptic shape of the establish the correct identity.
leaf is also surprisingly similar to that of K. A. SUBRAMANIAN*
Shorea sp. of the Neogene6. We therefore R. BABU
1. Rust, J. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA,
propose that the fossil belongs to that of
2010, 107, 18360–18365.
a compressed seed of Dipterocarpaceae. 2. Zheng, D. and Jarzembowski, E. A., Int. J. Southern Regional Centre,
The asymmetrical wings and abdomen of Odonatol., 2020, 23, 13–21. Zoological Survey of India,
‘fossil dragonfly’ are naturally asymme- 3. Kohli, M. K., Ware, J. L. and Bechly, G., Chennai 600 028, India
trical calyx lobe, and the ‘thorax and Palaeontol. Electron., 2016, 19, 1–14. *e-mail: [email protected]

NEWS

France Honours Rohini Godbole with ‘Ordre National du Mérite’

Prof. Rohini Godbole, a theoretical par- a better understanding of the physical tion Colliders. She was also involved in
ticle physicist, currently an Honorary sciences in India. the draft formulation of Science, Tech-
Professor at the Centre for High Energy A fellow of all the three Science nology and Innovation Policy (STIP)
Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Academies of India and also a fellow of 2020, as a chair of the Committee on
Bengaluru, has been awarded the Natio- The World Academy of Sciences Equity and Inclusion that has suggested
nal Order of Merit, one of the highest (TWAS), and a founder-chair of the Panel several important measures for tackling
French civilian distinctions. Making for Women in Science of the Indian the current inequitable participation in
a reference to her internationally ac- Academy of Sciences, her recent honours STEM with respect to gender, social,
claimed contributions to particle physics include Padma Shri from the Govern- regional and economic diversity.
spanning more than four decades that led ment of India and the R. D. Birla Award Other recent recipients of the ‘Ordre
her to successfully set up strong and of the Indian Physics Association for National du Mérite’ in the Indian scien-
highly successful scientific collabora- outstanding contributions to Physics. tific community include Satyajit Mayor,
tions between France and India, the Rohini Godbole’s current research inter- Director of the National Centre for Bio-
award also highlights the major role ests focus on Higgs Phenomenology, logical Sciences, Bengaluru and A. S.
Rohini Godbole has played in promoting Supersymmetry, Dark Matter Searches Kiran Kumar, former chairman of the
the cause of women in science and her and related aspects of the Physics beyond Indian Space Research Organisation.
communication skills that have helped in the Standard Model, and Next Genera-

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