digg

Join DiggAbout

Donkeys and Elephants and Delegates,oh my!
Check out the most popular Elections 2008 content on Digg.

Swimmers' Sunscreen Killing Off Coral

news.nationalgeographic.com — Common sunscreen ingredients awaken dormant viruses in the algae that keep corals alive, killing the algae and causing reefs to bleach, a new study says.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • entrophize, on 01/30/2008, -35/+10So I guess it's a tough decision - thwart skin cancer and avoid sunburns or save a few plants.

    Wow. Tough one.
    • Ndiggnation, on 01/30/2008, -3/+14Corals are not plants, they're animals as far as I know. I believe they have some sort of smybiotic relationship with algae though..
      • norman619, on 01/30/2008, -3/+5I think he's talking about the algae. Last I checked algae is a plant. The algae helps the coral colony to survive. Sunscreen kills the algae which kills the coral. Reading comprehension is great.
        • rand0mm0nkey, on 01/30/2008, -3/+4Doesn't change the fact he's a dumbass. Bottom of the foodchain dying affects the top of the food chain. Hello.
          • norman619, on 01/30/2008, -1/+3Doesn't change the fact that you guys misunderstood what he was talking about. If you are gonna slam someone do it for the right reason. I point out how you guys didn't even get what he was talking about and I get dugg down. Classic digg I guess.
        • MRintheKeys, on 01/30/2008, -1/+0I see you failed Marine Biology.

          http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/06061 ...
    • HonestAbe, on 01/30/2008, -2/+10Coral are not plants
    • TiMMY8765, on 01/30/2008, -4/+3more like thwart tourists and save coral
    • rnreekez, on 01/30/2008, -2/+8Oh, so they are animals. So I guess that means "Good luck and enjoy the melanoma. "
    • carbonetc, on 01/30/2008, -3/+16You're not really a big picture kinda guy, are you?
    • rheaume, on 01/30/2008, -3/+3Skin cancer in you or a few plants?

      thats a real tough one
  • davidkeithjones, on 01/30/2008, -3/+18I didn't think that there was that much sunscreen floating around or that its all settling on the reefs. That sucks.
    • hammerattack, on 01/30/2008, -3/+6There isn't.
    • OrangeTide, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1I guess there are a lot of pale tourists and locals in Australian?
      • trollhunter, on 01/31/2008, -1/+0Do you? (And, btw, your question mark looks a little out of place...)
  • KodomoNoJikan, on 01/30/2008, -16/+5pentuple anal penetration
    • nekochan, on 01/30/2008, -3/+8...but enough about your hobbies.

      how about them corals?
      • KodomoNoJikan, on 01/30/2008, -4/+2HOW ABOUT THEM CORALS GOIN UP MY BUTT!?
  • BeforeSputnik, on 01/30/2008, -14/+6I've heard conflicting theories about sun-screen's effectiveness anyways. Wear it if it keeps you from getting burned, otherwise I say, soak up the sun (in moderation of course).
    • davidkeithjones, on 01/30/2008, -6/+14Um, no doctor will tell you to "soak up the sun" twenty minutes exposure is all you need for health reasons. Not wearing sunscreen is just plain stupid if you plan to be out for extended periods of time in the summer.
      • MWeather, on 01/30/2008, -4/+4It's just plain stupid to be out for extended periods of time in the summer, period. Sunscreen just makes it slightly less stupid.
        • bovilexia, on 01/30/2008, -2/+2well there are some of us work outside and others who enjoy the outdoors and don't want to be cooped up inside all day.
  • ndfootball06, on 01/30/2008, -17/+2I don't know about you guys, but this might be the stupidest claim ever put on the internet

    Although, the amount of methane produced by farting will increase the earth's temperature by .00000000000000234 degrees Farenheit

    you should feel terrible for wearing sun screen, nottt
    • neocognitism, on 01/30/2008, -1/+12That's not what they're saying; this has nothing to do with global warming.

      Coral reefs are a critical ecosystem in the ocean, and have all sorts of programs to protect them because they have been threatened for decades. This research brings bad news because it says that all the coral reefs near beaches that humans frequent are now seriously threatened.

      So it's not that the coral reefs dying will raise global temperature, it's that coral reefs dying is very very bad all by itself. Trust me, you do not want this to happen. Think complete breakdown of the food chain.

      And the research isn't saying "don't wear sunscreen," it's essentially informing Coppertone et al to find new active ingredients. Hopefully the industry will quickly react, because even if it costs a bit more, if it affects all the prices then no single company gets an unfair advantage, and therefore there won't be any show-stopping economic disincentives.
      • norman619, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2They were blaming global warming for the loss of coral tho.
        • MWeather, on 01/30/2008, -1/+4Coral, like everything else has adapted to a certain temperature range. Unlike other animals, though, it has a hard time moving when the temperature changes.
          • CiXeL, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2there are new stands up staghorn corals up by fort lauderdale where there werent before. global warming is allowing the range of corals to extend further from the equator. we're in very interesting times.
      • Terr01, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1Note that there is, however, a CO2 emission link:

        The oceans are one of the places emitted CO2 gets stored, since as the concentration increases in the atmosphere more is dissolved into the water, basically making the oceans more acidic and reactive with Corals' "skeletons".

        http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4226917. ...
    • mightydavefish, on 01/30/2008, -0/+4Try reading the article next time.
      It'll help you keep from looking like a total ***** like you do now.
  • evi1, on 01/30/2008, -18/+3I personally prefer my skin not to be bright red over some coral but thats just me.
    • norman619, on 01/30/2008, -4/+1How dare you be practical.
    • rand0mm0nkey, on 01/30/2008, -2/+5and that is why people suck. greed over compassion for the lose.
      • blast_flame, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1People like me have plenty of compassion. Just for sapient being not mindless animals.
  • ndfootball06, on 01/30/2008, -15/+1Yall should feel terrible,, the increase in sunscreen will add .00000000000000000000000000000000123 degrees farenheit to the earth temp

    stupidest story every written
    • Kpeanut21, on 01/30/2008, -2/+10Did you read the article??? There isn't anything in the story about global warming - its about chemicals in sunscreen killing coral reefs

      stupidest comment ever(y?) written
      • J4k3, on 01/30/2008, -0/+4Some people have an IQ in the single digits...ndfootball06 is a prime example of that. Crawl back to your cave, Neanderthal.
        • CiXeL, on 01/30/2008, -1/+4we may have just discovered the breakthrough that will help the corals just like when they tied DDT to the deaths of millions of birds because it would make their egg shells weak.
    • neocognitism, on 01/30/2008, -1/+6That's not what they're saying; this has nothing to do with global warming.

      Coral reefs are a critical ecosystem in the ocean, and have all sorts of programs to protect them because they have been threatened for decades. This research brings bad news because it says that all the coral reefs near beaches that humans frequent are now seriously threatened.

      So it's not that the coral reefs dying will raise global temperature, it's that coral reefs dying is very very bad all by itself. Trust me, you do not want this to happen. Think complete breakdown of the food chain.

      And the research isn't saying "don't wear sunscreen," it's essentially informing Coppertone et al to find new active ingredients. Hopefully the industry will quickly react, because even if it costs a bit more, if it affects all the prices then no single company gets an unfair advantage, and therefore there won't be any show-stopping economic disincentives.
  • heartcoldfusion, on 01/30/2008, -15/+20Stop using sunscreen altogether. Most sunscreens block UVB rays, which are actually less harmful than the UVA rays they don't block. Current research is finding that your body reacts well to the vitamin D found in UVB rays, and that it may actually help in fighting cancer. So sunscreens essentially block the good type of UV rays from the Sun and let the bad ones that really damage your skin come through.
    • gregdogum, on 01/30/2008, -2/+10Bold claims. Want to back that up with a link or two?
    • gregdogum, on 01/30/2008, -3/+14Nevermind. I already read the wiki article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen

      The most effective sunscreens protect against both UVB (ultraviolet radiation with wavelength between 290 and 320 nanometers), which can cause sunburn, and UVA (between 320 and 400 nanometers), which damages the skin with more long-term effects, such as premature skin aging.

      So what were saying about UVA rays again? Suncreen doesn't block it? Right.
      • cleverhanz, on 01/30/2008, -10/+2He's wrong because he doesn't agree with what Coppertone edited into the Wikipedia entry? Ok.
      • Cmstech, on 01/30/2008, -9/+2And Wikipedia is ALWAYS correct......
      • bubba9999, on 01/30/2008, -4/+1Premium sunscreens just started blocking UVA rays. Most commonly sold sunscreens do not block it.
    • AnthonyN, on 01/30/2008, -2/+5I also remember hearing something recently about sunscreen containing xenoestrogenic compounds. Prostate cancer ahoy.

      Why does science hate us?
    • joegibes, on 01/30/2008, -1/+5...don't go out in the sun that much (ie don't sit on a beach for 5 hours; go out a little at a time and build up more melanin).
    • OrangeTide, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1This is why for the last 10 years we have been told to "cover up" to protect our skin. There has been no medical advice in the last decade advising you wear sunscreen to protect yourself from cancer.But it does wonders for avoiding the discomfort of a nasty sunburn.
    • bunkybrewman, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1If I don't wear at least 35, I'm sporting that fine Lobster Man tan within an hour or two.

      Tries to wear the waterproof stuff, but is optimistic about the technology to protect your skin AND the environment at the same time.
  • gregdogum, on 01/30/2008, -11/+2I guess I'll stop using sunscreen so I can die of skin cancer.
  • DAaaMan64, on 01/30/2008, -9/+2Get the new comment system out already! I'm sick of Firefox eating ***** every time I open a long discussion page in a background tab!
    • ilves7, on 01/30/2008, -2/+2you must have a screwy version of firefox, mine works just fine
      • MWeather, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3And you show all comment threads fully expanded?
        • BossKey, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1Well, I do, to save effort, so that it can be a "load once, read now" experience. In an old version of Safari it was dog slow. In Safari 3 it's quite acceptable. I agree...while the comment system should be more efficient, in the meantime you should try a newer version of Firefox, or another browser.
          • DAaaMan64, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1I assure you I am running good enough hardware. Both my linux box and my work windows machine are dual-core with a gig+ of ram. Anytime I have a few tabs open and there is a long discussion it'll pretty much freeze and I have to click "stop script"

            Really irritating.
          • BossKey, on 01/31/2008, -1/+1@ DAaaMan64 (we've hit the Digg nesting limit):

            Well...this is on a single-core 1.25GHz Mac laptop that's over four years old. If you're experiencing performance issues on any recent system, something is wrong with your software.

            I was amazed at the Digg comments rendering difference between Safari 2 and 3. In Safari 2, Digg comment expansion hung the browser so badly it was completely unresponsive for minutes at a time. (Other apps were not affected and continued to run fine.) In Safari 3, comments expand after a short, unremarkable delay. There must have been some JavaScript optimization in the browser, because nothing else changed.
          • DAaaMan64, on 01/31/2008, -0/+14 different computers with standard firefox installs are probably not lying. Come on it happens almost anytime I open a comment list larger then 200 with the comments fully expanded. I get the "stop script" choice. Are you even running Firefox?

            And all your telling me about is your Mac. I've got 1 linux box and 3 windows box's with crappy to great hardware saying the same thing on standard Firefox installs.
          • BossKey, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1Are you the one that dugg me down? Listen. I am reading Digg on Firefox on this machine (not the one I wrote about earlier). And I have seen the irritating script error. But not consistently. In fact, not most of the time.

            Just to help out with some data points, here are my timings on the top Digg story right now (Top Five Reasons to Not Like Dane Cook), chosen for its extremely high comment load. The timings start when the link is clicked and end when the page is both visible and scrollable. I did get the error some of the time on this top story.

            1.25GHz, Firefox 2.0.0.11, pass 1: 34 seconds, then "unresponsive script" error
            1.25GHz, Firefox 2.0.0.11, pass 2: 34 seconds, then "unresponsive script" error
            1.25GHz, Safari 3.0.4, pass 1: 34 seconds, then "unresponsive script" error
            1.25GHz, Safari 3.0.4, pass 2: 29 seconds, page load successfully complete
            1.25GHz, Safari 3.0.4, pass 3: 33 seconds, then "unresponsive script" error
            1.25GHz, Safari 3.0.4, pass 4: 29 seconds, page load successfully complete
            4x2.66GHz , Firefox 2.0.0.11, pass 1, 16 seconds, page load successfully complete
            4x2.66GHz , Firefox 2.0.0.11, pass 2, 16 seconds, page load successfully complete
            4x2.66GHz , Safari 3.0.4, pass 1, 13 seconds, page load successfully complete
            4x2.66GHz , Safari 3.0.4, pass 2, 12 seconds, page load successfully complete

            So it looks like Digg stories with many comments can have a problem on slower hardware, at least on this platform, and particularly with Firefox. Sorry but I'm not going to fire up my Windows virtual machine to check this there.

            Do you see it every single time, or do our Firefox tests agree?
          • DAaaMan64, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1No not every time, but often enough that I something is wrong. It happens when I have a few tabs open. But it wouldn't freeze at all if it would just render comments without needing such an intense script. The problem is the browser just literally stops responding for several seconds. Usually my process is going through every story on the front page and open tabs in the background until i have get to the stories I've read already. This is when it happens.
  • theright, on 01/30/2008, -8/+24Wear sunscreen.

    If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. [...]
  • drsmith3, on 01/30/2008, -5/+8At least they're not blaming global warming for the destruction of the coral.
    • nekochan, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2that was last year. this year is that coral are bleaching because they hate tourists.
      • Ineedanap, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1no, its because the tourists hate the coral... .
        I mean, if the tourists didnt show and put on all that sunscreen, then the coral would be just fine.

        • CiXeL, on 01/30/2008, -2/+2i still want to stab to death mothers who stand their daughters on heads of coral in the florida keys to fix their floaties. i swear i see it everytime i go out on a snorkel trip from john pennekamp.
        • blast_flame, on 01/31/2008, -1/+1@CiXeL
          So you would put the life of a non-sapient creature above the life and freedom of a sapient creature!?
          • CiXeL, on 01/31/2008, -1/+1people should be killed for stupidity and ignorance. people need to be considerate of others and the environment around them and not be selfish and greedy.
          • blast_flame, on 02/01/2008, -0/+1@CiXeL
            Killing everyone stupid is a step above eugenics which tends to be looked down upon. I'm sorry but I can not justify criminalizing ignorance and stupidity at any level I and am 100% against the death penalty, do you really want to give the government the power to decide who lives and who dies? It could be argued that ignorance and stupidity are states of intellectual being and as such, while we may despise them, we can not criminalize them if we want to truthfully call ourselves a free society. We can however criminalize the actions that stupidity and ignorance cause if they create damage to another individual's person or property. The solution here is property, what if someone had owned that coral? They could be able to level damage against that person for damaging their property.Greed and selfishness only cause damage in a collectivist society, in a individualist society they in fact do the reverse.
    • MWeather, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1So you're saying coral is unaffected by temperature changes?
    • Terr01, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2Well, if there's are significant changes to the ocean currents due to climate changes, it would certainly be detrimental to coral.

      But also, CO2 (even if it has no relation at all to temperature) dissolves in water and makes it more acidic, so continued emissions may harm coral that way.
  • dlm85, on 01/30/2008, -12/+5Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
    If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
    it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
    scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
    than my own meandering
    experience…I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
    understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
    But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
    recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
    you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
    imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
    effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
    bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
    never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
    on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you Sing Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
    people who are reckless with yours. Floss Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
    you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
    yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
    succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
    life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
    wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
    olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
    you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
    chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
    congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
    choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
    use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
    think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
    own.. Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
    good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
    people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
    should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
    lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
    knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
    in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
    philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
    that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
    noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
    maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
    might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
    look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
    supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
    fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
    ugly parts and recycling it for more than
    it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…
    • wcarolyn, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1Nobody's going to read that. Next time just write a summary... like "This reminds me of the song Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99".
  • tomfromvienna, on 01/30/2008, -5/+13Waves kill corals, Temperature falls and rises kill corals, algae kills corals, even creamed skin kills corals.
    Maybe god doesn´t want them to live...
    • mcquitty, on 01/30/2008, -3/+3It's not God that doesn't want them to live. It is Darwinism. Get with the program.

      Evolve or die.
      • CiXeL, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2the problem is the pretty colorful corals are the sensitive ones. the brown ugly corals get along with man just fine.
        • blast_flame, on 01/31/2008, -1/+1Who damn cares what they look like. I for one am not willing to get skin cancer and pass more draconian laws just to ensure our coral stays pretty.
    • blast_flame, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1Here in Australia corals are being decimated. Not by anything man has done but by a natural flood that has washed too much fresh water out to sea, changing the salinity levels.
  • 0crabby0, on 01/30/2008, -2/+7Just swim and surf at night...
  • neocognitism, on 01/30/2008, -1/+26People, this has nothing to do with global warming.

    Coral reefs are a critical ecosystem in the ocean, and have all sorts of programs to protect them because they have been threatened for decades. This research brings bad news because it says that all the coral reefs near beaches that humans frequent are now seriously threatened.

    So it's not that the coral reefs dying will raise global temperature, it's that coral reefs dying is very very bad all by itself. Trust me, you do not want this to happen. Think complete breakdown of the food chain.

    And the research isn't saying "don't wear sunscreen," it's essentially informing Coppertone et al to quickly find new active ingredients in their sunscreens. Hopefully the industry will react as a whole, because even if it costs a bit more, if it affects all their prices then no single company gets an unfair advantage, and therefore there won't be any show-stopping economic disincentives. There is a very good chance they will react positively because doing something for the health of the oceans is always good press.
    • republicker, on 01/30/2008, -4/+2The ocean is a really, really big place compared to the area of coral effected by sunscreen slathered swimmers.
      • drimo, on 01/30/2008, -2/+5You completely missed the point. Reefs are an important habitat that need to be protected in order to preserve the food chain. If you don't have reefs, you don't get micro-organisms that bigger fish feed upon. You don't get the places where smaller fish live, which feed larger fish, like tuna and salmon, plus birds. Not to mention reefs help control erosion and tidal flow. The ocean and its reefs are A LOT more important than we will ever comprehend.
        • republicker, on 01/30/2008, -4/+2I know reefs are important. My point is there are plenty of other reefs unaffected that will surely continue the food chain. Either petition to have sunscreen banned or don't worry about it.
        • geoffg, on 01/30/2008, -4/+1Why are you wasting your time, it's the same as telling a Christian that God didn't walk around on planet earth 2000 years ago...pointless.
      • neocognitism, on 01/30/2008, -2/+2Coral reefs are overwhelmingly found near intertidal regions -- that means near the shore. That's why ships historically smashed into them. They don't float so they can't exist in areas that aren't relatively shallow, among other reasons. .
  • argoff, on 01/30/2008, -10/+3While I've never liked sunscreen anyhow, I'm still gonna call ***** on this story. All the sunscreen used by the human race could easily fit in a 200 foot cube. Even if it was the most toxic substance known to human kind, it would still have zero effects on the oceans overall echo system. In fact, same things with "cell phones" too. You see, the groups behind this are not wining about them because of a measurable real toxic effect, but only because of wide spread consumer use. They use that attention mechanism not to protect the environment, but rather to enhance their wallets and funding.
    • Ineedanap, on 01/30/2008, -1/+3you clearly have no concept of 6billion.
      I bet you dont think there can possibly be enough fertilizer used to affect the oceans either.

      • argoff, on 01/30/2008, -1/+4sure I do, 6 cubic inches times 6 billion is 36 billion cubic inches is 21 million cubic feet.is about a 250 foot cube and that's assuming that everybody on the planet uses it and dumps all of it in the ocean and none stays on their skin and no bottles get thrown away and so on and so on.
        • elvisjulep, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2LOL...pwned! Looks like someone needs a nap.
    • WordsnCollision, on 01/30/2008, -1/+3"echo system"... you're just using that as an escape goat.
    • rainyman, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1The coral reefs have been in visible danger for many years now, and research like this is needed to find the cause. I don't see the problem here. You're worried that their goals are not good enough for you?
    • a10webb, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2What???
  • cholland, on 01/30/2008, -3/+4If the sunscreen in that bad for coral, what might it be doing to us?
    • rainyman, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2It doesn't affect the coral directly. It activates dormant viruses that have infected the algae and kills them off. We have no such virus, else we would have felt the effects long ago.
    • Trollmaster, on 01/30/2008, -0/+5protecting us from harmful UV rays from the sun?
  • designer, on 01/30/2008, -8/+17If coral is that much of a pussy that it dies when exposed to sunscreen then ***** it. Loser coral.
    • talonstriker, on 01/30/2008, -2/+3If man is that much of a pussy that it gets skin cancer when exposed to sun then ***** it. Loser humans.
      • gameforge, on 01/30/2008, -1/+5Now listen here! Man was intelligent enough to seek shade, and invent clothing and sunscreen. Coral needs to pull its thumb out of its butt and get with the program if it wishes not to face the consequences!
  • Prosequi, on 01/30/2008, -3/+5Corals are highly sensitive to light levels and grow only at certain depths accordingly. That "the coral samples were exposed to sunscreen while in plastic bags to avoid contaminating the reefs" raises an issue of light level and filtering through the bag, and water quality in the bag. Tie a sunscreen filled bag around the head of the researcher, watch him turn white, then declare the cause the sunscreen - neat, then declare, "I don't know if it was divine intervention or the kinship of all living things but I tell you Jerry at that moment I was a marine biologist!".
    • neocognitism, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2Did you receive a bad grade in Biology, only to blame your professor and now all of science?
  • lhbaker, on 01/30/2008, -4/+3While it's admirable that sunscreen has taken the initiative to apply sunscreen, it should probably stop doing so.
  • tuurd, on 01/30/2008, -9/+5Will someone kill Al Gore already? Holy *****.

    Buried.
    • cnot3, on 01/30/2008, -1/+3Manbearpig has been trying to for centuries.
  • WITFITS, on 01/30/2008, -3/+5Stupid coral, when is it going to stop complaining and just freakin' evolve already? Sheesh.
  • Trollmaster, on 01/30/2008, -2/+4Hmmmmm.... avoid cancer... or save a coral reef?? wow, that's a toughie
    • cnot3, on 01/30/2008, -2/+2not for me... the coral will be fine, many species are fragile as hell and are probably gonna die anyway... the ugly ass brown pile-of-***** coral will be around forever.
  • a10webb, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2If any of you experts would care to read the full study it is located here in pdf before throwing your expert opinions out there:
    http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2008/10966/abstract. ...
    • a10webb, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2The title seems a bit misleading. Their study showed that treatments involving corals exposed to sunscreens died off, and their controls showed no change. So in essence sunscreen can kill coral, but it's misleading to say that sunscreen is killing off coral. The dilution and wave action on reefs may keep it from doing so.
    • OrangeTide, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1no thank you.
  • Sunscreen, on 01/30/2008, -3/+2sorry I caused the fish to die. :(
  • BobTurtle, on 01/30/2008, -1/+6I thought this has been known for a little while. When I went on vacation to a natural park in Mexico (where you could go swimming) about five years ago everyone was asked not to use their non-natural sunscreens for this very reason. There are natural sunscreens that have been on the market that work just as well as your average sunscreen (for most activities) that won't ***** up the environment and aren't too expensive. The brand of natural sunscreen I've seen is called Australian Gold but I'm sure there are others.
  • DryMaltExtract, on 01/30/2008, -3/+3Adapt or die. Sorry coral, you lose.
    • elementop, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1Adapt or get sunburned >:]
      • blast_flame, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1Humans do adapt. That's why we have sunscreen. Humanity's natural defense is it's brain.
  • OrangeTide, on 01/30/2008, -2/+4coral needs to grow some balls and quit being a pussy.
  • leerayIG88, on 01/30/2008, -2/+1You people are killing Spongebob and his friends.
    • cnot3, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2Sponges don't harness energy from the sun... corals have symbiotic algae growing in them that needs sunlight. Stop smoking weed for a minute and turn off spongebob, then go watch ***** blue planet or something.
  • protogenxl, on 01/30/2008, -0/+4What I use....is Crisco, its the best, you can get a tub of it and it costs a buck ten. Share it with everyone at the beach. And the great thing about Crisco is that you never get burnt, because when you start to sizzle...you MOVE YOUR ASS!!!
  • DeePsix501, on 01/30/2008, -3/+4Skin Cancer Prevention > Coral
  • MrRightstuff, on 01/30/2008, -0/+0I see this as good news for the virus.
  • AgmLauncher, on 01/30/2008, -4/+3This just in: farting causes global warming, kills eco systems, and raises ocean levels.

    FFS, 6 billion humans have an effect on the environment????? WHO KNEW?????????

    Even if human beings reverted back to cavemen and lived in, well, caves, we would still be seeing stories on digg about how humans living in caves are destroying valuable ecosystems that exist within those caves :S

    Since humans are going to have an inevitable impact on the environment, how about we just acknowledge that and move on?
  • DulcetTone, on 01/30/2008, -1/+0Should we really be interposing ourselves in the Darwinian process for forms of life this frigging pathetic?

  • snea, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2There are biodegradable sunscreens available. I'm not sure if these reduce or eliminate the impact on the algae but there are places that encourage or even require them.
  • villageatheist, on 01/31/2008, -2/+2SUCK FUNSCREEN
  • buberfan, on 01/31/2008, -1/+1Actually most sunscreens contain some really nasty chemicals and there is research which shows that although they can reduce risk of sunburn they can actually increase the risk of skin cancer (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen#Possible_ad ... Some previous comments have stated the obvious - its better to simply avoid over-exposure to the sun and not use sun screen. But for the times when you do want to be on the beach, there is at least one organic suncreen product from a company with a track record in caring for the environment. https://karendlowe.mionegroup.com/product/13430
  • RationalXubrnce, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2 And in ten years we'll all hear about how they wrong all along and sunscreen actually has no effect on coral. I'm going to reserve judgment on this one till I hear a bit more.
  • wilnix16, on 01/31/2008, -0/+0coral or skin cancer.....tough choice seems like we cant do anything right.
  • caponumen, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1The reality is even if just we, our cats and dogs survive the inevitable destruction of the earth, then biology has succeeded.
    You preservationists are ignoring the facts of evolution in that over 99% of all life has already gone extinct and most extinctions are caused by competition, we are just doing what comes naturally and nothing more........
  • genthoboys, on 02/06/2008, -0/+0is there any alternative for sunscreen? coral is place for highly commercial fish settled, its for food. if no alternative to sunscreen, better not sunbathing in beach...
  • awanata, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0The best price for stop smoking medications here:

    http://www.takepill.com/stop-smoking.htm

    *******
    Buy Generic Acomplia (Rimonabant).
    http://www.takepill.com/?product=acomplia
    Only 1.59 per pill.
    *******
    Buy Generic Zyban.
    http://www.takepill.com/?product=zyban
    Only 1.40 per pill.

    Visit the best online drugstore:
    http://www.takepill.com
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.