The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded a five-year, $3.3 million grant to a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researcher to study the potential cardiovascular toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics.

From responding to the ping of your phone notification to reaching for a snack at the end of the day, many everyday behaviors begin as mindful choices and end up feeling almost automatic. 

A new study from Johns Hopkins University, published in Nature Communications, suggests that shift may not always happen slowly.  

Scientists have long believed that habits emerge gradually after long periods of repetitive behavior. 

But the new research shows that the transition into habitual action occurs faster than previously understood.  

And the research suggests that a particular brain region may play a key role in the transition – a discovery that could point to ways to alter entrenched habits.