New discovery of sunscreen-like chemicals in fossil plants reveals UV radiation played a part in mass extinction events

New research has uncovered that pollen preserved in 250 million year old rocks contain compounds that function like sunscreen, these are produced by plants to protect them from harmful ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation. The findings suggests that a pulse of UV-B played an important part in the end Permian mass extinction event.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/aXnU3YZ