Meet 'Harryplax Severus': A Crab Named After 'Harry Potter' Characters

Medicine & Technology Feb 14, 2017

After 16 years of discovery, a rare species of coral reef crab is termed 'new' and named after 'Harry Potter' characters. The rare crab is found along the coasts of Guam, an island in the western Pacific Ocean.

A Toxic Substance In Sunscreen Can Damage Coral Reefs

Oct 22, 2015

Study shows that oxybenzone, a chemical commonly found in sunscreen lotion, can significantly cause death to young corals and deterioration to old ones.

Global Warming Would Bring The Worst Coral Bleaching In Hawaii

Sep 14, 2015

Earth's warming sea temperature due to Global Warming has its harmful effects on the reefs.

Overfishing Leads to Aggressive Competition in Caribbean Coral Reefs

Apr 28, 2015

While they may make great loofas, in the coral communities of the Caribbean reefs sponges are a greater threat than perhaps even humans. Aggressive competitors for resources and space, these nefarious neighbors have been known to use shading, smothering, snot and even toxins to kill their coral counterparts, literally living on what’s left of their remains. And without many natural predators, these sponges continue to damage reef-building corals unless kept under control.

Reef Oasis Found in Depths of Murky Iraqi Waters

Feb 20, 2015

While growing climate changes and ocean acidification pose particular threats to coral reef species around the world, it appears that researchers may have good news on the horizon. While many reefs have been well-documented and researched, a new study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports reveals that new reefs may be right under our noses, and they be far out of the tropics.

What Manganese and the Trade Winds Tell Researchers about the Coral Bleaching Epidemic of the Pacific

Dec 24, 2014

Researchers from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), tasked with monitoring the overall health of Pacific coral reefs are sounding an alarm of international proportions to notify the public and government agencies that the Pacific Ocean coral reefs are facing a massive die-off known commonly as “coral bleaching”. Publishing their recent study in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers are pointing towards warming oceans and dying trade winds for the massive coral bleaching soon to hit these coral reefs, and are naming global climate change as a contributing factor.

Corals Hint At Global Warming Spike―What Climate Change Is Doing Now

Dec 22, 2014

Coral reefs are dying-off, in front of our very eyes. And they're the "canaries in the mines" for our terrestrial well-being.