Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Big news for coral lovers! 🪸 We are hosting an international team of scientists as they work to freeze and preserve pillar coral larvae using cutting-edge cryopreservation techniques. ❄️
Why does it matter? With coral reefs under threat, this technique offers hope by allowing us to store viable coral larvae for future restoration efforts. 🌍 Using revolutionary cryomesh technology, scientists can protect these larvae at ultra-low temperatures—ensuring their survival for decades, even centuries!
Here’s what you should know:
🪸 97% decline in Florida's pillar coral population since 2015.
🌊 Only 24 living pillar coral colonies remain in Florida's reefs.
🐠 The Florida Aquarium is home to 170 rescued colonies, the largest collection of living pillar coral in the world.
This work is part of a larger global initiative, funded by CORDAP, the G20 Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform, aimed at creating permanent coral biorepositories and banking coral genetic diversity worldwide. The next phase begins in Mexico next year, with a focus on preserving elkhorn coral.
Stay tuned as brilliant scientists continue to make waves in coral conservation and ocean health! 💙
Institutions include: The Florida Aquarium, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Taronga Zoo Sydney Conservation Society Australia and the University of New South Wales, CARMABI Foundation (Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity Foundation) in Curacao, UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, University of Minnesota Twin Cities and ATP-Bio, and University of South Florida
Big news for coral lovers! 🪸 We are hosting an international team of scientists as they work to freeze and preserve pillar coral larvae using cutting-edge cryopreservation techniques. ❄️
Why does it matter? With coral reefs under threat, this technique offers hope by allowing us to store viable coral larvae for future restoration efforts. 🌍 Using revolutionary cryomesh technology, scientists can protect these larvae at ultra-low temperatures—ensuring their survival for decades, even centuries!
Here’s what you should know:
🪸 97% decline in Florida's pillar coral population since 2015.
🌊 Only 24 living pillar coral colonies remain in Florida's reefs.
🐠 The Florida Aquarium is home to 170 rescued colonies, the largest collection of living pillar coral in the world.
This work is part of a larger global initiative, funded by CORDAP, the G20 Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform, aimed at creating permanent coral biorepositories and banking coral genetic diversity worldwide. The next phase begins in Mexico next year, with a focus on preserving elkhorn coral.
Stay tuned as brilliant scientists continue to make waves in coral conservation and ocean health! 💙
Institutions include: The Florida Aquarium, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Taronga Zoo Sydney Conservation Society Australia and the University of New South Wales, CARMABI Foundation (Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity Foundation) in Curacao, UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, University of Minnesota Twin Cities and ATP-Bio, and University of South Florida
