Stanford researchers find method to rapidly reverse coral bleaching

Researchers at Stanford University have discovered a method to reverse coral bleaching at record speeds. In laboratory experiments conducted at the Hopkins Marine Station, bleached coral fragments achieved full recovery within seven weeks by making direct physical contact with healthy genetic clones of the same species.

Published in Science Advances, the study found that when genetically identical corals touch, they fuse their tissues to create a living bridge. This connection functions as a nutrient highway, allowing symbiotic algae and essential nutrients to flow rapidly from the healthy colony to the bleached fragment. This process can kickstart the recovery of the bleached coral in as little as three days.

The breakthrough offers new hope for restoring reef ecosystems, which have faced massive degradation due to marine heat waves. Recent climate-driven heat stress has impacted approximately 84.4% of the world’s coral reefs, leading to a significant loss in global coral coverage compared to mid-20th-century levels.