It's time now for our regular science news roundup with our friends at NPR's Short Wave podcast, Regina Barber and Pien Huang. Hey, y'all. PIEN HUANG, BYLINE: Hey, Juana. REGINA BARBER, BYLINE: Hey.

We have all heard the warning: “Don’t swallow gum, it will stay in your stomach for seven years.” It’s one of those playground myths that refuses to die. But science paints a very different picture.

New research shows that chewing gum can release hundreds or possibly thousands of microplastics into saliva, which may then be absorbed into the body. Even all-natural gum sheds microplastics when ...