The Corals That Shouldn’t Exist
Beneath Miami’s skyscrapers, a colony of corals defies expectations—and offers insight into other undersea urban ecosystems.
Coral Reefs
Latest in Coral Reefs
The Curse of Dead Corals
When heat waves bleach reefs, do dead coral skeletons help or hinder recovery?
How to Kill a Million Sea Stars
Synthetic pheromones offer a promising new means of controlling troublesome crown-of-thorns starfish.
Layers of Life
On a crowded coral reef, species often make their homes on top of one another (literally), living lives that are tightly intertwined both biologically and evolutionarily.
Beguiling Intruder
Lionfish are hungry, long-lived, and extremely fertile invaders in their new-found Atlantic home.
Spawning an Intervention
To help corals survive the myriad threats they currently face, an international team of scientists is mastering the art and science of raising coral babies.
Double Fisted
Grabbing ahold with both claws, a crab defends itself—and steers the course of another species’ evolution.
Lens of Time: Growing Against the Odds
As reefs endure another onslaught, scientists are taking a closer look at how corals live and grow—and what may enable some of them to persist in a changing world.
Picture of Health
Despite myriad threats, some coral reefs are thriving, or rebounding, suggesting it may be far too early to write the obituary for these critical ecosystems.
Farm to Reef
Cuba’s sustainable farming practices could provide a recipe for restoring struggling coral reefs around the world.
The Curse of Dead Corals
When heat waves bleach reefs, do dead coral skeletons help or hinder recovery?
How to Kill a Million Sea Stars
Synthetic pheromones offer a promising new means of controlling troublesome crown-of-thorns starfish.
Layers of Life
On a crowded coral reef, species often make their homes on top of one another (literally), living lives that are tightly intertwined both biologically and evolutionarily.
Beguiling Intruder
Lionfish are hungry, long-lived, and extremely fertile invaders in their new-found Atlantic home.
Spawning an Intervention
To help corals survive the myriad threats they currently face, an international team of scientists is mastering the art and science of raising coral babies.
Double Fisted
Grabbing ahold with both claws, a crab defends itself—and steers the course of another species’ evolution.
Lens of Time: Growing Against the Odds
As reefs endure another onslaught, scientists are taking a closer look at how corals live and grow—and what may enable some of them to persist in a changing world.
Picture of Health
Despite myriad threats, some coral reefs are thriving, or rebounding, suggesting it may be far too early to write the obituary for these critical ecosystems.
Farm to Reef
Cuba’s sustainable farming practices could provide a recipe for restoring struggling coral reefs around the world.