Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have made significant inroads in understanding how nanoplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — commonly known as forever chemicals — disrupt biomolecular structure and function. Their findings are described in two recent articles in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. The research team includes (top row, L-R): Mahesh Narayan, Ph.D., professor and chief of the Division of Biochemistry in UTEP’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Randhal Ramirez Orozco, doctoral student of computational science; Sophia Borrego, sophomore biomedical sciences major; Samantha Arce, sophomore biomedical sciences major; Daisy Wilson, doctoral student of environmental science and engineering; (bottom row, L-R) Ummy Habiba Sweety, doctoral student of environmental science and engineering; and Jyotish Kumar, doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Lela Vukovic, Ph.D. (not pictured), associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was also involved in the research.