How corals can be ‘trained’ to cope with heat stress from climate crisis

The first study to look at long-term fluctuating temperatures helps scientists prepare corals against warming oceans, as Zoe Tidman explains

Coral reefs risk bleaching in warmer seas (AFP via Getty Images)

A new study has been called a “glimmer of hope” for corals, who are vulnerable to damage as oceans get hotter and extreme weather becomes more frequent due to the climate crisis.

US scientists say they have found a way to improve the “stamina” of the organisms when faced with heat stress - and so boost their chances of survival in a warming world.

This is good news for corals, who have been faced with an onslaught of stark warnings over their fate in the climate crisis - which the University of Miami researchers called the “greatest threat” to reefs.