• Question: why do humans burn when their in the sun for to long?

    Asked by Robyn to Angus on 16 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Angus Cook

      Angus Cook answered on 16 Jun 2016:

      The Sun gives out a load of different types of light. When you see a rainbow you can see raindrops splitting up the different colours of light that come from the sun.

      Some of this light is called ‘Ultraviolet’ light (we can also call it UV, for short). UV can damage the DNA in our cells. If we get too much damage then our body can start to react to it. Our skin can peel if it’s too damaged to repair, the body decides that it’s not worth fixing that bit and gets rid of it. It can also make us red and sensitive to heat, maybe to try and make us careful of the sun. One more thing that the body can do is produce melanin, which is what gives us a tan. Melanin helps absorb UV, stopping from damaging our DNA.

      Because damage to DNA can increase the risk of cancer, it’s important to try and protect yourself from strong sunlight when you can, with clothing or sunscreen.

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