Sunblock in pill form?
Researchers from Kings College London are studying the symbiotic relationship between coral and algae living in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. They found that in order to survive in strong sunlight, coral produces compounds that act as a natural sunscreen. Scientists hope to use genetic engineering to recreate the compounds in a laboratory back in the UK and eventually develop a sunscreen in pill form. Since the compound is already present in the food chain in the coral reefs – small fish ingest it while feeding off the coral, larger fish eat them and so on – the scientists hope it…
