• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment

Scientists Freeze Coral to Save The Great Barrier Reef : ScienceAlert todayheadline

June 9, 2025
in Science & Environment
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
World Oceans Day: Scientists Use Frozen Coral to Save The Great Barrier Reef
2
SHARES
5
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Rows of tanks filled with liquid nitrogen sit in temperature-controlled chambers at Sydney’s Taronga zoo, cradling parts of the Great Barrier Reef’s diverse and magnificent corals frozen in time.

The world’s largest store of cryogenically frozen coral is a frosty Noah’s Ark for an ecosystem that scientists warn could be the first to disappear if climate change is not combatted fast enough.

Trillions of cells from dozens of key coral species on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) – collected each year during mass spawning – offer the chance to regenerate damaged and diminished corals now and into the future.

“Essentially, a pause button has been pressed on their biological clocks,” said Justine O’Brien, manager of conservation science at Taronga Conservation Society Australia.

“I hope our collective efforts can help to retain the reef’s beautiful diversity,” she told AFP.

Infographic explaining the cryopreservation process of coral. (Nicholas SHEARMAN/AFP)

Since the coral program began in 2011, Taronga’s CryoDiversity Bank has been intruding annually on the GBR’s spawning, when corals send eggs and sperm into the waters for breeding.

Scientists collect the sperm and mix it with cryoprotectants, which remove water as the samples freeze, and protect internal cell structures.

Eggs contain too much water and fat to be frozen without damage using current techniques, so for now cannot be similarly banked, but other cells are also harvested and frozen for research.

The samples are placed into liquid nitrogen and stored at -196 degrees Celsius (-320 Fahrenheit). Strict measures ensure the temperature never changes.

“We can keep them alive indefinitely,” O’Brien said.

“You could thaw them out a few years from now, a few decades from now or hundreds of years from now and they will have retained the same fertilizing potential that existed when they were initially collected and frozen.”

Two women in lab coats moving big cylindrical tank
Abbey Whitelock and Justine O’Brien preparing a cryo tank for coral sperm preservation to add to a frosty Noah’s Ark for an ecosystem that scientists warn could be the first to disappear if climate change is not combatted fast enough. (Saeed Khan/AFP)

Coral disease, death

So far the bank has 34 species of the approximately 400 kinds of hard corals on the GBR, prioritizing those most essential to reef structure and function, with plans to expand.

In addition to reproduction, the samples can be used for research and record-keeping, helping track the effects of warming seas, overfishing and pollution that threaten coral reefs globally.

Scientists forecast that at 1.5 Celsius (34.7 Fahrenheit) of warming, some 70 to 90 percent of the world’s coral reefs could disappear – a disastrous prospect for people and the planet.

Coral reefs support not just marine life but hundreds of millions of people living in coastal communities by providing food, protection from storms and livelihoods through fishing and tourism.

Warming oceans cause coral to expel the algae that provides not just their characteristic color but also their food. Once bleached, they are exposed to disease and death by starvation.

A global coral bleaching event has been unfolding since 2023, spreading to 84 percent of the world’s reefs, across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.

Live coral cover has halved since the 1950s due to climate change and environmental damage, the International Coral Reef Initiative, a global conservation partnership, said this year.

Next week, nations will meet in France for a UN oceans summit where they will be under pressure to deliver action and much-needed funds to better protect the world’s overexploited and polluted seas.

But the third UN Ocean Conference may struggle to find global consensus and raise money given ongoing disagreements over deep-sea mining, plastic trash and overfishing.

World Oceans Day: Scientists Use Frozen Coral to Save The Great Barrier Reef
Rebecca Hobbs collecting coral spawn bundles. (Marie Roman/AIMS)

Window closing

O’Brien warns the GBR is under pressure, despite the resilience it has already shown.

“We know the frequency and severity of impacts that are now occurring are not giving the reef enough recovery time,” she said.

The cryobank, one of just a handful around the world, offers a glimmer of hope.

Last year, Taronga and Australian Institute of Marine Science researchers successfully thawed frozen coral sperm to fertilize fresh eggs, producing viable coral larvae that were placed back onto the reef.

It was a world-first for the GBR and preliminary surveys show the transplants have grown well.

These efforts – part of a broader program looking at everything from shading corals to transplanting more heat-tolerant varieties – are a “small part of the solution to the global coral reef crisis,” said WWF-Australia’s head of oceans Richard Leck.

But he warned that more needs to be done to ensure the long-term survival of coral.

“Reefs are incredibly resilient and they do bounce back remarkably quickly after major disturbances,” he told AFP.

“There is certainly a window to get reefs through climate change, but it is clear that that window is closing.”

© Agence France-Presse

Previous Post

Active sunscape | Astronomy Magazine

Next Post

HBO Harry Potter series: Johnny Flynn, Katherine Parkinson and more join HBO Harry Potter cast. See full cast members list todayheadline

Related Posts

Smart floss prototype

New Smart Dental Floss Can Detect Your Stress From Saliva : ScienceAlert todayheadline

June 9, 2025
6
Celestron - NexStar 4SE Telescope

How to see the ‘Horse and Rider’ in the Big Dipper’s handle this summer

June 9, 2025
5
Next Post
ET logo

HBO Harry Potter series: Johnny Flynn, Katherine Parkinson and more join HBO Harry Potter cast. See full cast members list todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Neodymium magnets.

Why MP Materials Took Off Today todayheadline

June 9, 2025
US health secretary Kennedy to remove all CDC outside experts on vaccines

US health secretary Kennedy to remove all CDC outside experts on vaccines todayheadline

June 9, 2025
Meet a Swift Student Challenge Winner Attending Apple's WWDC

Meet a Swift Student Challenge Winner Attending Apple’s WWDC todayheadline

June 9, 2025
Smart floss prototype

New Smart Dental Floss Can Detect Your Stress From Saliva : ScienceAlert todayheadline

June 9, 2025

Recent News

Neodymium magnets.

Why MP Materials Took Off Today todayheadline

June 9, 2025
4
US health secretary Kennedy to remove all CDC outside experts on vaccines

US health secretary Kennedy to remove all CDC outside experts on vaccines todayheadline

June 9, 2025
6
Meet a Swift Student Challenge Winner Attending Apple's WWDC

Meet a Swift Student Challenge Winner Attending Apple’s WWDC todayheadline

June 9, 2025
5
Smart floss prototype

New Smart Dental Floss Can Detect Your Stress From Saliva : ScienceAlert todayheadline

June 9, 2025
6

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Neodymium magnets.

Why MP Materials Took Off Today todayheadline

June 9, 2025
US health secretary Kennedy to remove all CDC outside experts on vaccines

US health secretary Kennedy to remove all CDC outside experts on vaccines todayheadline

June 9, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co