Bleaching can make corals more susceptible to diseaseOctober 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have found that bleaching can make corals more susceptible to disease and, in turn, coral disease can exacerbate the negative effects of bleaching. "Traditionally, scientists have attributed coral declines after mass bleaching events to the bleaching only," said Marilyn Brandt, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Miami and the lead author on the research paper.
Corals recover faster when they have clean water and plentiful sea lifeJuly 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has shown that bleached corals bounce back to normal growth rates more quickly when they have clean water and plentiful sea life at their side. The new research study, led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, suggests that by improving overall ocean health, corals are better able to recover from bleaching events, which occur when rising sea temperatures force corals to expel their symbiotic algae, known as zooxanthellae.
Mediterranean algae lost their tropical element between 5 and 7 mln yrs agoJuly 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has suggested that Coralline algae in the Mediterranean Sea lost their tropical element between 5 and 7 million years ago. The international team of researchers studied the coralline algae fossils that lived on the last coral reefs of the Mediterranean Sea between 7.24 and 5.3 million years ago.
Great Barrier Reef may be gone in 20 years, warns scientistJuly 7th, 2009 LONDON - An eminent marine scientist has warned that the Great Barrier Reef will be so degraded by warming waters that it will be gone within 20 years. "There is no way out, no loopholes.
Corals show remarkable loyalty to their homeJune 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A recent study by Australian biologist Jim Underwood has found that despite the fact that corals cast their eggs and sperm haphazardly into the oceans, certain species of coral show remarkable loyalty to their home range. Underwood sampled DNA from coral reefs in the Indiana Ocean and found that individual corals located in the same group of reefs are more closely related than previously thought.
Global sunscreen might cool Earth, but it won't save coralsJune 17th, 2009 Washington, June 17 (ANI): A new study has determined that though an artificially 'geoengineered' global sunscreen would lower the planet's temperature by a few degrees, it won't stop the acidification of the world oceans that threatens coral reefs and other marine life. The culprit is atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), which even in a cooler globe will continue to be absorbed by seawater, creating acidic conditions.
21st century Noah's Ark may help save coral reefs from extinctionJune 6th, 2009 LONDON - Marine scientists have painted a grim picture of the future, where the 21st century equivalent of Noah's Ark would be needed to save coral reefs from extinction. According to a report in the Times, marine scientists such as Alex Rogers, of the Institute of Zoology, London, warn that unless drastic changes are made, the only way that the rainforests of the sea will survive is through radical intervention such as transplanting them to a Noah's Ark of enormous seawater tanks.
Heat-tolerant coral reefs may survive global warmingMay 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Stanford University scientists have found evidence that some coral reefs are adapting to the climate change and may actually survive global warming. "Corals are certainly threatened by environmental change, but this research has really sparked the notion that corals may be tougher than we thought," said Stephen Palumbi, a professor of biology and a senior fellow at Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment.
Report: Climate change threatens diverse coral reefs that millions of livelihoods depend onMay 13th, 2009 Climate change threatens millions who live off seaMANADO, Indonesia — Around 100 million people risk losing their homes and livelihoods unless drastic steps are taken to protect Southeast Asia's coral reefs, which could be wiped out in coming decades because of climate change, a report said Wednesday. The Coral Triangle — which spans Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East Timor — accounts for a third of the world's coral reefs and 35 percent of coral reef fish species.
Novel animal model provides sciatica insightsApril 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Duke University bioengineers and surgeons have developed a new animal model for the painful nerve condition, known as sciatica, which could offer insights to help researchers diagnose and treat it. Sciatica is characterised by numbness or pain from the lower back to the feet, radiating leg pain or difficulty in controlling the leg.
Hawaii's coral bed is over 4,000 years old, say researchersMarch 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Hawaii's deep-sea corals are more than 4,000 years old, making them one of the oldest living organisms on earth, say researchers. The study, conducted by the researchers from the Texas A&M University, California University and the Australian National University, found that one of the coral species was about 4,265 years old.
Hawaii's deep-sea coral may be world's oldest living marine organismMarch 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, it has been determined that deep-sea corals from about 400 meters off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands are much older than once believed and some may be the oldest living marine organisms known to man. Researchers from Lawrence Livermore, Stanford University and the University of California at Santa Cruz conducted the study.
Coral reefs may start dissolving when CO2 doublesMarch 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists have determined that if carbon dioxide (CO2) reaches double pre-industrial levels, coral reefs can be expected to not just stop growing, but also to begin dissolving all over the world. The study, by researchers at the Carnegie Institution and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, points out that the impact on reefs is a consequence of both ocean acidification caused by the absorption of CO2 into seawater and rising water temperatures.
Hot chillies can also help mitigate painFebruary 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Capsaicin, the active agent in spicy hot chili peppers, often acts as an irritant, but it may also be used to reduce pain. Feng Qin, associate professor of physiology and biophysics at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, and Jing Yao used capsaicin to unravel how pain-receptor systems can adapt to painful stimuli.
Coral reefs on way to recovery after tsunamiJanuary 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Coral reefs are on the way to recovery in areas of Indonesia, following the tsunami that devastated coastal regions throughout the Indian Ocean on Dec 26, 2004. The New York based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) working with Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (ARCCoERS), has documented high densities of 'baby corals' in areas that were severely impacted by the tsunami.
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