A bleached coral, stripped of its color and slowly starving, can come back to life in just seven weeks -- if it is placed in contact with a healthy twin. Researchers at Stanford University recently discovered that when genetically identical coral fragments touch, their tissues fuse into what scientist Danny Collins calls "a nutrient highway," and within as little as 36 hours, life-giving algae begin flowing from the healthy fragment into the dying one. The discovery began with a happy accident: a healthy coral slipped against a bleached one in a tank, and someone was paying close enough attention to notice what happened next. The finding won't save coral reefs overnight -- the technique only works between genetic clones, and the ocean keeps warming, which causes coral to bleach. But the findings do open a door. Collins and his team are now exploring whether the algae themselves can be extracted and introduced to bleached corals at scale, without needing the physical bridge at all. While he is clear-eyed about the limits: the real solution is being able to stop coral bleaching in the first place, the horizons feel brighter: "bleached corals aren't a lost cause," he offers.
