Scientists have photographed a dying coral recovering after it was placed next to a healthy specimen, Scubaverse reports. The outlet published images of the recovery, which it describes as remarkable. According to Scubaverse, the healing was visible as it happened.
Coverage of the work has spread across several outlets. CBC reported that researchers watched the coral heal before their eyes after pairing it with a healthy one. Smithsonian Magazine described the effect as a "magic touch" from healthy corals, and framed it as hope for marine ecosystems damaged by heat. Science Daily reported that a simple touch can bring dying corals back to life in just seven weeks.
Upworthy reported that the technique was found through a random laboratory accident. That detail comes from Upworthy's account and has not been independently confirmed here.
The findings matter because heat-damaged reefs are a growing concern for marine ecosystems, according to the outlets covering the study. The reports focus on a laboratory result rather than a proven method for restoring reefs in the wild.
The source material does not name the researchers, the institution or the coral species involved, and it gives no further detail on how the contact between corals produces the effect.
Watch for the full study and any follow-up work testing whether the same approach holds outside the lab, where conditions are far harder to control than in a tank.
