Andrzej Slominski: Light's Unparalleled Influence in Biology

Andrzej T. Slominski, MD, PhD, is a dermatopatholigist and world-expert on the influence of light on biology. Over the last 30+ years, he has focused on the regulation of the neuro-endocrine-immune axis by light on the skin and through the eyes. Andrzej has contributed substantially to our understanding of how light signals are transduced in the body and what effects they have on global homeostasis. His recent focus is on neuroendocrinology of the skin, cancer, photobiology, pigment biology, cutaneous steroidogenesis, vitamin D and melatonin.

Andrzej has been working carefully to undo the dogmatic and simplistic ideas about sun exposure that prevail in culture today. His work reintroduces nuance and logic to the discussion of sunlight’s role in disease prevention and health. His work has and continues to be incredibly influential in our understanding how light and life interact.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:14 - Sunlight In Health & Disease

00:06:41 - Vitamin D Research's Monopoly on Light-Life Interactions

00:10:21 - How Northern Countries Compensate For Lack Of UV

00:16:22 - Melanoma Risk Factors

00:23:31 - Artificial Light & Skin Health

00:28:34 - Current Recommendations Defy Logic

00:34:32 - Politics In Dermatology & Science In General

00:38:51 - POMC

00:51:10 - Circadian Disruption

00:54:54 - Sunlight In Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics

00:59:31 - Biophotons

01:01:51 - Skin Microbiome

01:05:43 - Andrzej's Dream Study

01:09:54 - Outro