Brains On! Science podcast for kids How do we get Vitamin D from the sun?
Aug 25, 2026
Dr. Ingrid Polkari, a pediatric dermatologist, explains how UV light helps skin make vitamin D and how the body activates and stores it. Short, clear takes cover UV-driven vitamin creation, DNA damage from sun exposure, and practical sunscreen tips. Fun and curious tone for young listeners.
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Sutton's Fishing Sunburn Prompted Sunscreen Use
- Sutton shares a personal sunburn from fishing that led to wearing sunscreen and shirts for protection.
- The story illustrates how painful burns motivate consistent sun-protection habits.
How Vitamins Were Discovered
- Vitamins are essential nutrients our bodies mostly cannot make and must get from food.
- Casimir Funk named them after Latin vita and the chemical idea of amines while solving sailors' deficiency illnesses.
Sunlight Triggers Vitamin D Production
- Vitamin D is unique because we can make it in our skin when UV light from the sun hits a molecule there.
- That molecule is then processed by the liver and kidneys before it becomes usable and is stored in fat.