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Coral may help sunburn prevention

Report

Coral is an animal that thrives in shallow water, where it can absorb vital sunlight, but that also makes it vulnerable to strong ultraviolet rays.

It's long been known that algae living inside coral produces a sunscreen that protects it. But the team from King's College in London says this is the first time they have got close to using that chemical to create something similar for humans. 

After studying samples from the Great Barrier Reef they found that fish feeding off the coral are also able to withstand powerful ultraviolet rays, leading them to believe that the protective amino acids - the key ingredient - pass up the food chain. 

Tests on human skin could take place within two years, though the scientists say it could take them a lot longer to work out whether the protective chemical can be turned into tablet form.

Tom Esslemont, BBC News