TIMES RECORD • July 16, 2020
Phytoplankton, along with other marine creatures, have evolved ways to protect themselves against UV radiation. It works much like sunscreen – either chemical blocks or physical blocks. Some have chemicals in their tissues that help to reflect or scatter UV light. Others have arrangements of layers of cells that act like tiny mirrors, bouncing the radiation right back. As often is the case, we learn our best lessons by emulating solutions that nature has spent much time evolving. Our sunscreen gives us the chemical or physical capacity to reflect UV light that we humans don’t naturally have. ~ Susan Olcott