Microbeads is the term given to the little bits of plastic that are sometimes added to products for their abrasive properties.
Source: Bane of the Oceans (and a Simple Fix)
Joan Rose, a microbiologist who has won the world’s most prestigious water prize, is both depressed and optimistic at progress to make water fit to drink
Source: 7 great anecdotes from a photographer of vanishing cultures / Boing Boing