Published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, an innovative new study reveals that these tiny water fleas can indicate the presence (and potential harm) of various mixtures of chemicals in the aquatic environment.
The study, a collaborative effort involving scientists from the University of Birmingham, the Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences in China, and the Hemholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany, analyzed water samples from the Chaobai River system near Beijing, a body of water that is exposed to pollutants from several sources, including agriculture, domestic waste, and industry.
The team utilized artificial intelligence methods to identify which subsets of chemicals might be particularly harmful to aquatic life, even at low concentrations that wouldn’t normally raise concerns. Artificial intelligence plays a central role in this research. By leveraging advanced computational methods, the research team has significantly advanced environmental science.