Engineering alone cannot stem the tide of pollutants; ecosystems can help. Recent syntheses show that vegetated wetlands remove up to 89 % of certain antibiotics and 65 % of resistant genes from influent waters, while simultaneously trapping microplastics in root mats. Field trials in Asia and Europe confirm that antibiotic-resistance loads fall along flow paths …
Data gaps shrink when local residents step in. River-keeper organisations in the UK proved the concept by piloting a low-cost citizen-science kit that counts microplastics per litre with 78 % accuracy compared with laboratory methods. A broader review across Europe shows that volunteer monitoring boosts spatial coverage ten-fold and sparks pro-environmental behaviour change. Building on …
Antimicrobial resistance no longer hides behind hospital walls: resistant genes now travel vast distances in surface water, storm run-off and even sea spray. A 2025 EU pilot across eight countries showed carbapenem- and colistin-resistant E. coli at 40 % of freshwater checkpoints, underscoring the need for routine river monitoring. The Joint Research Centre reaches similar …
A single plastic fragment can travel hundreds of kilometres, changing shape and gathering microbes along the way. TULIP tracks that journey from city street to sea shelf. Drones and satellites flag floating slicks; river sensors count particles below the surface; and GPS-tagged drifters reveal where currents, dams or storm surges concentrate debris. The resulting maps light …
Forecasting future health risks is no longer guesswork. TULIP fuses hydrodynamic particle tracking, climate projections, machine-learning risk maps and socio-economic data into a single modelling suite. Every water sample, lab culture and household survey flows into that digital twin, refining it week by week. With a few clicks, policymakers can ask “What happens to antibiotic-resistant bacteria if …
Real change starts with the people who live and work beside the water. TULIP invites neighbourhood associations, fish-farm cooperatives, school groups and municipal planners to sit at the same table as microbiologists and hydrologists. Together they decide what needs to be measured, where to collect samples and which solutions fit local realities. Community volunteers deploy low-cost …
Bacteria rarely travel alone; they build cities. On the rough surface of a five-millimetre plastic fragment, cells stick, secrete slime and start swapping DNA in minutes. Recent laboratory studies show these biofilms can triple the rate at which resistance genes jump between bacteria. Microplastics make the process even faster, acting as floating safe houses that shield …
Every drop of water is a data archive. TULIP teams follow that archive from mountain springs to coastal deltas, sampling rivers, estuaries and wastewater-treatment outfalls at set intervals and after storm events. Sterile bottles, in-situ sensors and autonomous samplers capture chemicals, microplastics, microbes and resistance genes in the same pass, so nothing is missed. Back on shore, …
Italy sits at the intersection of three rising pressures: some of Europe’s highest antibiotic-resistant infection rates, rapidly warming and drying climate patterns in the south, and record-breaking floods in the north. Around 12 000 Italians die each year from drug-resistant bacteria—over a third of all AMR deaths in the EU/EEA. In 2024 Sicily and Sardinia declared …
The Philippines is both a global plastic-leakage hotspot and one of the countries most exposed to climate-amplified typhoons, making it a key TULIP research site. Up to 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated each year, and one fifth escapes formal disposal. A new Extended Producer Responsibility law now requires large companies to recover …
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