Coral Reefs

A Popular Coral for Home Aquariums Can Release Deadly Toxin

The coral produces a toxic mist that can cause serious health problems

This Starfish-Killing Robot Could Help Save The Great Barrier Reef

Reef-eating starfish beware

Acropora species, like those pictured above in Malaysia, seem to be targeted by a disease that destroys coral tissue.

A Mysterious Disease Is Killing Corals

Researchers still haven't cracked the mystery of "white syndrome"

In a new video released by the WWF, viewers can glide through the Great Barrier Reef on the back of a sea turtle.

Researchers Strapped a Go-Pro to a Sea Turtle, and Here’s What They Got

See the Great Barrier Reef from a turtle's view

Researchers witnessed this coral slowly slurp up a sea slug back in December of 2014.

That Time a Mushroom Coral Ate a Sea Slug

Researchers observed the rare event off the coast of Thailand

A type of coral trout called the leopard trout (Plectropomus leopardus) swims on the Great Barrier Reef.

Fishing Bans Create a Glimmer of Hope on the Great Barrier Reef

No-take reserves have helped commercially important species bounce back, but the reef still faces some serious threats

Tiny Bits of Plastic May Be Clogging Up Corals

Researchers find that microplastic pollution has become a new threat to the health of ocean reefs

The Great Barrier Reef Is Doing So Badly, Scientist Are Testing Genetic Modification to Help It Survive

As the health of the Great Barrier Reef declines, scientists are hoping “assisted evolution” might keep its coral alive

Arachnophobia, coral reefs, artificial cells and strange amphibians starred in some of this year's science finds you might have missed.

Ten Cool Science Stories You May Have Missed in 2014

ICYMI, there's a newfound coral reef in Iraq, the smallest force has been detected and more in this year's surprising science

Windswept trees seem to loom over a beach on the remote island of Tarawa in Kiribati. Scientists have found that coral reefs near Tarawa record changes in Pacific trade winds.

Corals Show How Pacific Trade Winds Guide Global Temperatures

The world has been in a global warming hiatus, but that will change when the winds once again weaken

Guadalupe Peak and El Capitan: a landscape “lonely as a dream,” wrote Edward Abbey.

When Texas Was at the Bottom of the Sea

A hike to the “top of Texas,” the world’s most famous fossil reef, leads to a new sense of the sublime

Singer and plastic-clothing designer Pharrell Williams at the "Raw For The Oceans" event at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

The Top 12 Ocean Stories That Made Waves in 2014

The seas served up some compelling headlines this year, from celebrity fashion to solving the mystery of the melting starfish

A bleached coral reef

Listen to the Sounds of a Dying Coral Reef

Healthy coral reefs produce a medley of sounds that ocean creatures use as homing beacons

Everglades National Park is in critical condition due to poor water management, according to the IUCN.

A Third of Natural World Heritage Sites Are in Danger

From the Florida Everglades to Africa's first national park, many crucial protected areas are in serious trouble

Sea Coral Makes Excellent Human Bone Grafts

Coral’s porous structure, with some chemical tweaks, is the perfect place for new bone and tissue to grow

Corals And Fish Can Tell a Bad Reef When They Smell It

New research indicates that young marine species can be picky about where they choose to settle

Finger coral's fatness and indiscretion when it comes to algal partners gives it an edge in warming waters.

Fat Corals Fare Best As Climate Changes

Corals with significant energy reserves that welcome all types of symbiotic algae species won’t easily die if hit with multiple bleaching events

Many fish and other organisms make their home on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. How will the massive living structure change as climate changes?

Great Barrier Reef Gets A Little Good News

New research shows that some corals may be able to adapt to faster warming than previously thought

Madison Stewart, Shark Girl

The Girl Who Swims With Sharks

A new Smithsonian Channel documentary features "Shark Girl," a fearless 20-year-old Aussie who has spent hundreds of hours swimming with the creatures

The Silent Evolution. MUSA Collection, 2010. Depth, 8 m. Manchones Reef, Mexico.

Can Underwater Art Save the Ocean's Coral Reefs?

Artist Jason deCaires Taylor is creating sculptures to help promote reef growth

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