Researchers hope to develop a tablet which can protect our skin and eyes without the need for dark glasses or sun cream. [Agencies]

閱讀難度：

A pill that prevents sunburn could be on the shelves within five years after British scientists discovered how coral shields itself against harmful UV rays, Daily Telegraph reported.

Coral converts compounds produced by algae living inside it to make a sunscreen which protects both the coral and the algae from sunburn, the researchers discovered.

Fish which feed on the coral also gain protection from the sun, but the human digestive system wipes out the compounds before they can offer us any benefit.

Dr Paul Long from King's College London, who is leading the research, hopes to engineer the compounds in the lab so that they survive long enough in our bodies to enter the bloodstream and offer us some level of protection.

He said, "We are very close to being able to reproduce this compound in the lab, and if all goes well we would expect to test it within the next two years."

（點擊《每日電訊報》查看原文）

防曬藥物五年內面世

???????繼英國科學家發現珊瑚蟲是如何抵御有害的紫外線后，一種防曬藥物有望五年內上市。

???????據英國《每日電訊報》報道，研究人員發現，珊瑚蟲會把生活在其中的藻類產生的化合物轉化成“防曬霜”，從而使自己和海藻都免于曬傷。

???????以這種珊瑚蟲為食的魚類也會獲得防曬保護，但人類的消化系統在這種化合物發揮功用之前就把它排出了。

???????倫敦國王學院的保羅朗博士是該研究的帶頭人，他希望實驗能使這種化合物在人體內停留足夠長的時間，并最終進入血液，為人類提供一定的防曬保護。

???????他說：“我們現在已經快能在實驗室里制造這種化合物了。如果一切順利，未來兩年內將進行試驗。”

(China.org.cn September 5, 2011)