healthy corals

Contact between genetically identical corals enables recovery from severe bleaching

Severely bleached corals can recover by simply touching healthy, genetically identical corals. In laboratory experiments, dying colonies regained their full color within seven weeks, with as little as five days of contact triggering the healing process. This is a measurable, validated pathway to resilience, one that reframes recovery as an integrated, social process. The finding pairs well with our coverage of Western Atlantic corals facing rising heat, offering a concrete mechanism for hope amid climate stress.