A Columbia study provides a blueprint for the use of genomics to help combat climate change.
Coral reefs are dying at an alarming rate as water temperatures rise worldwide as a result of global warming, pollution and human activities. In the last three decades, half of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has lost its coral cover.
A new study from Columbia University provides more evidence that genetic-sequencing can reveal evolutionary differences in reef-building corals that one day could help scientists identify which strains could adapt to warmer seas.
The findings, published in Science July 16, provide a window into the genetic processes that allow some corals to resist dramatic climate shifts that could complement or improve current preservation efforts.
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