"How Can Coral Reefs Deal With Climate Change? Get Better Roommates"

"Time is running out for coral reefs as the climate gets hotter. So scientists are searching the globe for corals that are better at enduring heat.

Now, new research shows how those "super corals" can survive: less roommate drama.

Reefs depend on a crucial partnership between the corals and the algae that live in the corals' tissue. The algae make food for the coral using sunlight and in exchange, get a nice spot to live.

But when oceans heat up, that relationship goes bad, and the corals kick the algae out. Without their roomies, corals can die, turning a ghostly white, bleached color."

Lauren Sommer reports for NPR December 29, 2022.