Strange Science: Coral Regrowth

Coral outcrop on Flynn Reef

Toby Hudson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coral_Outcrop_Flynn_Reef.jpg) CC-by-sa-3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Sometimes, accidents make for great science! In this case, a scientist cleaning coral out of a tank accidentally broke the coral. However, in three weeks, each of the dozen pieces of broken coral had grown to the size of the original coral. The broken coral had originally taken three years to grow to its size, so this was an astronomical regrowth.

By experimenting further with intentional breakages of coral, scientists believe they may be able to restore things like the Great Barrier Reef, which has previously been dying off due to climate change. Initial experiments are set to take place in waters off the coast of Florida this year, and you can read more about it here (and through the many links in that article).

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