Perhaps they should simply hunt for “natural selection” in their Biology 101 textbook.
MSNBC reports:
Corals living in the tropical paradise off the Ofu Island in the South Pacific Ocean may be some of the strongest corals, living in lagoons with water temperatures high enough to kill most of their brethren.
They are not just surviving, but these coral reefs are thriving, according to a marine biologist who is trying to find out just how they do it, during an expedition running from March 18 through April 7.
“In fact, they’re growing faster than the same species elsewhere,” said Stephen Palumbi of Stanford University.
Studying these seemingly heat-resistant corals could help scientists find ways to protect these and other corals, which scientists worry are at risk as climate change warms the oceans…