Uploaded August 2017 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago

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A team of researchers dives into the isolated, nearly unexplored reefs of Easter Islands and finds an environment like no other. The ecosystem here is much less diverse, they say, but it manages to flourish nonetheless. Local fisherman kicked off a chain of events that have allowed hardy corals to flourish in the cold waters, providing a model for what the reefs of the future could look like.

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Images and Video: Luiz Rocha and Bart Shepherd, California Academy of Sciences
Music: Getty Images