Stanford University
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the Ars Orbital Transmission
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John Timmer
Ars
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The corals convert oxybenzone from a chemical that can harmlessly absorb UV light to one that damages biological molecules after being exposed to UV. That means it doesn't take much to do considerable damage.While looking for the chemical derivatives of oxybenzone, the researchers noticed that much of the material wasn't in the anemone cells; instead, it was found in the symbiotic microorganisms associated with the anemone. When they were present, the symbiotes took up enough of the glucose-oxybenzone to completely protect the coral from any lethal effects of UV radiation (in fact, any oxybenzone that remains unmodified probably provides some protection). And the fact that oxybenzone is great at absorbing UV light makes it a great sunscreen and more likely to use that energy in unfortunate ways once it's modified.The good news is that, now that we've identified the mechanism at play, we have a better chance of detecting other chemicals that could cause similar problems.
As said here by John Timmer