Scientists may have figured out how to save coral reefs

In this photo provided by Kim Cobb, Kim Cobb, climate technician from Georgia Tech in November in the isolated island of Kiritimati, found a little bit of information. hope and life in April. was a ghost town of dead coral. Cobb used bags and drills to examine the coral and collect carrots. The yellow coral is healthy, the white is sick and some of the other colors are actually algae on dead corals. (Alyssa Atwood, NOAA / Georgia Tech via AP)

For years, human pollution has killed coral reefs around the world. But now, scientists think that they may have found a way to save them.

Previously, researchers were looking for new ways to reduce our waste – for example, by fighting climate change or cleaning up the ocean. But a new article published in Nature argues that we should focus more on strengthening the reefs, to make them immune to pollution.

"If we must conserve or restore [coral reefs] we must understand the health of corals, tolerance and how can we promote it?" Writes Caroline Palmer, visiting scholar at the University of Plymouth and author of The article, in a press release. "If you have a strong immune system and the energy needed to support it, you are more likely to be healthy and survive adverse conditions. "

Palmer has been studying the immune system of coral reefs for a decade, examining the immune mechanisms of coral and discovering that corals with a superior immune system are less likely to die or have a coral reef.

"It is currently very interesting to create more tolerant corals through genetic engineering and to restore resistant coral reefs," she says. "I fully support these approaches, but I believe that understanding what motivates the health of corals will be the key to their success. "

This story was originally published in the New York Post.