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Ancient algal defenses against UV may have helped plants conquer land

Ancient algal defenses against UV may have helped plants conquer land
Phys.org Sunday 28 June 2026, 17:00 UTC 1 min read
Key Points

A new study sheds light on how the ancestors of modern land plants survived one of the most challenging aspects of life outside water: exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. By examining a microscopic alga closely related to the earliest land plants, researchers have uncovered a sophisticated and dynamic system for coping with sunburn—one that likely helped plants colonize land more than 500 million years ago. The results are published in Current Biology.

A new study sheds light on how the ancestors of modern land plants survived one of the most challenging aspects of life outside water: exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. By examining a microscopic alga closely related to the earliest land plants, researchers have uncovered a sophisticated and dynamic system for coping with sunburn—one that likely helped plants colonize land more than 500 million years ago. The results are published in Current Biology.
Current Biology (ORG)
Originally published by Phys.org Read original →

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