Scientists have discovered a compound in coral from Australia’s Great Barrier reef that could revolutionize the sunscreen business. An algae living in the coral excretes a substance that protects both the algae and the coral from the sun’s ray. According to the Telegraph, scientists are close to synthesizing the compound in labs and a pill to prevent sunburns could be on the market in less than five years.
Fish which feed on the coral also gain protection from the sun, but the human digestive system wipes out the compounds before they can offer us any benefit.
But Dr Paul Long, who is leading the research, hopes to engineer the compounds in the lab so that they survive long enough in our bodies to enter the bloodstream and offer us some level of protection.
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