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New Study: Methylene Blue Could Work as Effective Sunscreen

A school of fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia, Oct. 25, 2019. (Reuters Photo)
A school of fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia, Oct. 25, 2019. (Reuters Photo)
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New Study: Methylene Blue Could Work as Effective Sunscreen

A school of fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia, Oct. 25, 2019. (Reuters Photo)
A school of fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia, Oct. 25, 2019. (Reuters Photo)

A new US study published in the latest issue of the journal Scientific Reports found that Methylene Blue has proven effective in protecting from UV irradiation as well as being safe for coral reefs, providing an alternative solution to protecting human skin and the environment.

Around 80% of current sunscreens are harmful to corals as they contain Oxybenzone as a chemical UV blocker, a product known to detrimentally affect corals. In response, many countries have forbidden its use to limit the damage to coral reefs. Additionally, it could cause a lot of damages when used in sunscreen products.

The team of scientists from the University of Maryland examined the UV protection benefits of Methylene Blue from several perspectives. Human keratinocytes and skin fibroblasts were considered from young and old donors and compared UV damage with Oxybenzone.

Results showed that Methylene Blue not only absorbs UVA and UVB as the traditional sunscreen actives do, it also helps repair the DNA damage caused by UV irradiation, leading to overall better cell survival.

The team then exposed the soft Xenia umbellate coral to both Oxybenzone and Methylene Blue. The coral individuals were kept in isolated tanks as researchers monitored the growth and responses to both chemicals. The results showed Oxybenzone-treated Xenia corals suffered drastic bleaching and die-off in less than a week after exposure, while Methylene Blue exposure had no negative effects on coral health even at a relatively high concentration (1 micromolar).

In addition, the researchers also compared Methylene Blue with other skincare antioxidants such as Vitamin A (Retinol) and Vitamin C. This was to examine potential differences in their ability to reduce cellular oxidative stress.

"We are extremely excited to see that skin fibroblasts, derived from both young and old individuals, have improved so much in terms of proliferation and cellular stress in a methylene blue-containing cell culture medium. We found that the combination of Methylene Blue and Vitamin C could deliver amazing anti-aging effects, particularly in skin cells from older donors, suggesting a strong synergistic reaction between these two beneficial antioxidants," said Dr. Kan Cao, senior author and professor of cell biology and molecular genetics at the University of Maryland, in a report.

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'Dinosaur Highway' Tracks Dating Back 166 Million Years are Discovered in England

In this undated photo provided by the University of Birmingham on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, work underway as five extensive trackways that formed part of a "dinosaur highway" are uncovered, at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England. (University of Birmingham via AP)
In this undated photo provided by the University of Birmingham on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, work underway as five extensive trackways that formed part of a "dinosaur highway" are uncovered, at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England. (University of Birmingham via AP)
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'Dinosaur Highway' Tracks Dating Back 166 Million Years are Discovered in England

In this undated photo provided by the University of Birmingham on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, work underway as five extensive trackways that formed part of a "dinosaur highway" are uncovered, at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England. (University of Birmingham via AP)
In this undated photo provided by the University of Birmingham on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, work underway as five extensive trackways that formed part of a "dinosaur highway" are uncovered, at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England. (University of Birmingham via AP)

A worker digging up clay in a southern England limestone quarry noticed unusual bumps that led to the discovery of a “dinosaur highway” and nearly 200 tracks that date back 166 million years, researchers said Thursday.

The extraordinary find made after a team of more than 100 people excavated the Dewars Farm Quarry, in Oxfordshire, in June expands upon previous paleontology work in the area and offers greater insights into the Middle Jurassic period, researchers at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham said.

“These footprints offer an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited,” said Kirsty Edgar, a micropaleontology professor at the University of Birmingham, The AP reported.

Four of the sets of tracks that make up the so-called highway show paths taken by gigantic, long-necked, herbivores called sauropods, thought to be Cetiosaurus, a dinosaur that grew to nearly 60 feet (18 meters) in length. A fifth set belonged to the Megalosaurus, a ferocious 9-meter predator that left a distinctive triple-claw print and was the first dinosaur to be scientifically named two centuries ago.

An area where the tracks cross raises questions about possible interactions between the carnivores and herbivores.

“Scientists have known about and been studying Megalosaurus for longer than any other dinosaur on Earth, and yet these recent discoveries prove there is still new evidence of these animals out there, waiting to be found," said Emma Nicholls, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Nearly 30 years ago, 40 sets of footprints discovered in a limestone quarry in the area were considered one of the world's most scientifically important dinosaur track sites. But that area is mostly inaccessible now and there's limited photographic evidence because it predated the use of digital cameras and drones to record the findings.

The group that worked at the site this summer took more than 20,000 digital images and used drones to create 3-D models of the prints. The trove of documentation will aid future studies and could shed light on the size of the dinosaurs, how they walked and the speed at which they moved.

“The preservation is so detailed that we can see how the mud was deformed as the dinosaur’s feet squelched in and out," said Duncan Murdock, an earth scientist at the Oxford museum. "Along with other fossils like burrows, shells and plants we can bring to life the muddy lagoon environment the dinosaurs walked through.”

The findings will be shown at a new exhibit at the museum and also broadcast on the BBC's “Digging for Britain” program next week.