Scientists are bioengineering heat-resistant corals through selective breeding and genetic methods to save reefs from climate collapse. While these interventions could preserve 30-50% of reefs if paired with emissions cuts, they represent a race against warming oceans that may exceed coral survival thresholds by 2100.
Every year, millions of coral colonies across the world's oceans release eggs and sperm in perfectly synchronized events triggered by moonlight, water temperature, and darkness cues—a reproductive spectacle that sustains entire marine ecosystems worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Recent breakthroughs have revealed the genetic and environmental mechanisms driving this synchrony, enabling scientists to artificially trigger spawning, preserve coral gametes indefinitely, and deploy millions o...
Loading featured articles...