sunlight news stories on Newser

Sunny Days Help You Think

Nick McMaster — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:42:01 CDT

Does a cloudy day leave you groggy and unable to focus? If so, a study suggests you’re not alone: Cloudy days, regardless of season, can have an effect on cognitive function, MSNBC reports. Researchers cross-referencing the results of cognitive tests from 16,800 Americans with data on daily sunshine and...

Not Enough Sun, Milk: US Kids Lack Vitamin D

Kevin Spak — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:44:52 CDT

Too much time inside has left millions of American kids with shockingly low levels of Vitamin D, two new studies conclude. Roughly 9% of all 1- to 21-year-olds—7.6 million—were found to be Vitamin D deficient—putting them at higher risk for bone problems, heart disease, diabetes, and...

Vitamin D's Vital Role Heads for the Spotlight

Rob Quinn — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:20:02 CDT

Vitamin D is "one hot topic" among nutritionists, the Los Angeles Times reports, and it's about to get hotter. More than 2,000 studies on the so-called sunshine vitamin have been published this year alone, exploring its role in everything from reducing the risk of pancreatic cancer and diabetes to...

Leaded Gas May Have Slowed Climate Change

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:49:00 CDT

The dirty fumes of leaded gas may have curbed global warming for a few decades in the 20th century, the New Scientist reports. Researchers in Washington state have found that lead particles are key to creating ice crystals, which help form clouds—which aid global cooling by reflecting sunlight back...

Parkinson's Linked to Lack of Vitamin D

Rob Quinn — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:46:27 CDT

New research has strongly linked Parkinson's disease to a lack of vitamin D in the body, the BBC reports. Studies found that 55% of elderly patients with Parkinson's had low levels of the vitamin, compared to 36% of healthy elderly people. Researchers are unsure whether the deficiency is a cause...

Vitamin D's Grade: A+, or Incomplete?

Katherine Thompson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:27:01 CDT

Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin," has been getting plenty of good press lately, leading some to ask why more people aren't guzzling it to help stave off heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. But as the government looks to update its guidelines, many experts warn that bombarding people with the vitamin...

Vitamin D May Curb Breast Cancer: Study

Peter Fearon — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:28:15 CDT

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the spread of breast cancer tumors to other parts of the body, reports the Toronto Globe and Mail. Women diagnosed with breast cancer were twice as likely to see it spread and 73% more likely to die early if they had low levels...

Sun May Lower Risk of Some Cancers

Colleen Barry — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:48:28 CST

Getting a little bit more sun may actually reduce the risk of dying from some forms of cancer, a new study says. Brief exposure spurs the production of vitamin D in the body, which helps patients survive bouts with internal cancers—colon, lung, breast, and prostate. That benefit may outweigh...

Climate Change Can Even Muck Up Deepest Sea Creatures

Colleen Barry — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 03:27:36 CDT

Scientists have discovered that even the bizarre creatures that live on chemical ooze in the blackest, deepest parts of the ocean aren't safe from environmental disasters. It turns out that larvae of tiny deep-sea shrimp live on microscopic plants that rely on sunlight and filter down from the surface.