Corals are sea animals. When the water gets too hot, they lose tiny living things called algae. Algae give corals food. Without them, corals turn white and can die.
Scientists at Stanford University tested a way to help. They put five sick coral pieces against healthy copies of themselves. Algae moved from the healthy pieces into the sick ones. All five sick pieces got well within seven weeks. Five other sick pieces stayed a little apart from healthy ones. They died. Some corals needed only about a week of contact to keep getting better alone.
The method needs healthy copies of each sick coral. Scientists cannot yet use it widely in the sea. It helps corals recover, but it cannot stop damage from hot water.
