UV rays

Moderate ultraviolet light exposure boosts the brainpower of mice thanks to increased production of the neurotransmitter glutamate.  

White nose syndrome has killed millions of bats throughout North America since it was discovered on the continent. 

A new nanoparticle-based sunblock is effective, long-lasting, and may eliminate absorption of potentially harmful chemicals into the skin and bloodstream, a mouse study shows.

Zebrafish and other vertebrates have the enzymatic machinery to synthesize gadusol, an ultraviolet light-absorbing compound.

Researchers uncover a previously unknown way UV light can act on melanin, spurring cancer-causing mutations hours after sun exposure.

UVA exposure reduces human blood pressure by releasing nitric oxide metabolites from storage in the skin.

The large mammals alter the levels of melanin in their skin depending on sun exposure, helping them to avoid DNA damage.

A study suggests that increased UVB radiation from the sun is behind the decline of many marine species.

A new study shows that chickenpox is less common in areas of the world with high levels of UV radiation.

Caffeinated drinks may help prevent skin cancer by inhibiting a DNA repair pathway, thus killing potentially precancerous cells.

For more than 40 years, German gynecologist and legendary science writer Fritz Kahn (1888-1968) captured the imagination of an international audience with hundreds of wildly inventive illustrations and more than a dozen popular science books. 

Around the turn of the 20th century—before sunscreens hit the market and the damaging effects of UV radiation were widely appreciated—physicians saw the sun mostly as a source of healing.