A Single Electron's Tiny Leap Sets Off 'Molecular Sunscreen' Response
Thursday, June 22, 2017 - 13:31
in Physics & Chemistry
In experiments at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, scientists were able to see the first step of a process that protects a DNA building block called thymine from sun damage: When it's hit with ultraviolet light, a single electron jumps into a slightly higher orbit around the nucleus of a single oxygen atom.