Coral reefs can’t seem to catch a break. Not only are rising temperatures wreaking havoc with their environment, but emerging evidence suggests that a certain sunblock component in many lotions that may help protect humans from developing skin cancer is a coral killer.
Dr. Felix Roman and his team at the University of Puerto Rico have developed a biodegradable bead that can soak up the sunblock ingredient, oxybenzone, like a thirsty sea sponge.