'Lifeline' for coral at risk of rising sea temperatures
A study has revealed selectively breeding corals can enhance their tolerance, offering a short-term lifeline for reefs as ocean temperatures increase due to climate change.
Researchers from Minderoo Foundation, in collaboration with multiple universities, have successfully bred heat-tolerant corals at Ningaloo.
Ningaloo is a World Heritage-listed reef system off the Australian north-west coast that is under increasing threat from marine heatwaves and bleaching events.
The study found selectively bred coral with at least one "parent" from reefs in warmer oceans had double the survival rate under extreme heat stress, compared to corals from cooler waters.
It was the first successful demonstration of how selectively breeding corals could boost their tolerance to heat.
Researchers wanted to see if small temperature differences resulted in corals with enhanced heat tolerance, principal research scientist Kate Quigley said.
"Coral babies with at least one parent from the warmer reef exhibited significantly higher survival rates under heat stress," she said.
The study signalled a crucial tool to help reefs survive in the short term, Minderoo Foundation founder Andrew Forrest said.
"Of course, the only real and lasting solution to ending the destruction of coral reefs is the complete phase-out of fossil fuels," he said.
"Coral reefs support the livelihoods of millions of people globally, provide critical shoreline protection and support more than a quarter of the ocean's biodiversity, but have suffered steep declines globally."
In March 2025, World Heritage-listed reefs on either side of Australia bleached at the same time: Ningaloo in the west and the Great Barrier Reef in the east.
Mass global bleaching that began in 2023 has spread to at least 82 countries and territories, impacting almost 84 per cent of the world's reefs.
The study results come as the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) begins in Nice, in the south of France.
Environment Minister Murray Watt will attend - his first major international engagement since taking on the portfolio.
"Australia currently leads the world in the total area of ocean that is highly protected, but we want to go further," he said.
"One of the key items for discussion at UNOC3 is the ratification of the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty, which provides greater environmental protection for seas beyond national borders.
"At UNOC3, I will announce that Australia will introduce enabling legislation for the treaty in the spring sitting of parliament, with ratification of the treaty as soon as possible after that."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
17 minutes ago
- West Australian
Big copper target lurking for Southern Hemisphere, FMR
Southern Hemisphere Mining and JV partner FMR Resources say that reprocessed geophysics at their Llahuin's Curiosity–Southern porphyry at the Llahuin Copper‑gold‑moly project in Chile might have a copper tiger by the tail. The JV partners say the reprocessed geophysical reinterpretation blending MT, IP, and magnetic survey data with field mapping and historic drill-logging is showing all the potential hallmarks of a big copper porphyry target lurking at depth. The latest geophysical advancement builds on Southern Hemisphere and FMR's recent resource uplift to 218 Mt at 0.38 per cent copper equivalent, containing approximately 496,600 tonnes of copper, 654,000 ounces of gold, and 12,500 tonnes of molybdenum. That figure is backed up by a further 260–340 million tonne exploration target across the Llahuin domain. Llahuin sits in Chile's copper heartland of Coquimbo, roughly 350km north of Santiago with power, roads, and logistics already in play. Southern Hemisphere's field teams, together with FMR, flagged argillic alteration, silicification, quartz veining, and oxide-after-sulphide textures at surface, all hallmarks of a porphyry system right above the newly mapped geophysical footprint. The newly-modelled 3D inversion highlights a low-resistivity anomaly plunging more than 1,400m below the surface and extending laterally over 1 km, more textbook red flags for porphyry architecture. Chairman Mark Stowell called the geometry 'textbook' and likened it to the famous Valeriano deposit, signalling both technical pedigree and scale. To sharpen targeting, Southern Hemisphere is revisiting historic drill data: a standout intercept, for example, included 164m at 0.16 per cent copper equivalent from near surface and deeper, far richer grade hits like 2m at 1.45 per cent copper equivalent from around 168m. The staged data layers now feed into a tight targeting model ahead of deep drilling. Under the terms of the JV framework with Southern Hemisphere, FMR can earn up to 60 per cent of the southern concessions, funding exploration that's pegged to include a minimum 1,400m deep hole into Curiosity. A$2.2 million capital raise and support from heavy-hitter Mark Creasy has lent weight to the joint venture push. The next stage for the JV partners is to test the new geophysical theories with the rotary truth diviner which is expected to happen soon – watch this space. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
9 News
6 hours ago
- 9 News
A new drug helped Lee survive breast cancer. Then she was thrown a curveball
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here When Sydney woman Lee Hunt was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer back in 2005, she underwent gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She also began taking what was a relatively new and promising targeted therapy drug at the time, Herceptin, which has been shown to boost the effects of chemotherapy. Little did Hunt know that the very treatments that likely saved her life would lead to serious health problems down the track. Lee Hunt, pictured with her husband and grandson. (Supplied) Five years after finishing her cancer treatments, she began to notice strange symptoms. "I just started fainting, and feeling very dizzy," Hunt said. Hunt was referred to a haematologist by her GP, on the assumption that it might be her low blood pressure causing the problem. Luckily, the hematologist was aware of growing evidence of breast cancer survivors developing heart problems after taking Herceptin. Hunt was sent to see a cardiologist, who diagnosed her with cardiotoxity, which refers to long-term damage to the heart caused by a medical treatment. Hunt isn't alone, with data showing heart disease related to cancer treatment is emerging as a significant threat to breast cancer survivors. It is now estimated that up to 30 percent of breast cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy will go on to develop potentially life-threatening heart complications as a side effect of associated targeted therapies, immunotherapies or the chemotherapy itself. Lee Hunt, pictured with her husband on a hiking trip in Italy. (Supplied) Australian scientists at the Heart Research Institute hope to have a solution to the problem soon, in the form of a new drug that patients can take while undergoing chemotherapy to prevent heart damage. Professor Julie McMullen leads a team of researchers at the institute who have earmarked two potential drugs which have been showing promise. The drugs are being tested on revolutionary "mini-hearts" created in the lab. The size of a grain of sand, these tiny hearts are made from donated human blood, and have their own heartbeat. Professor Julie McMullen and researcher Dr Clara Liu Chung Ming are pictured the Heart Research Institute's laboratory. (Supplied) The tiny heart model was developed in the laboratory of University of Technology Associate Professor Carmine Gentile in an Australian first. "We can collect blood from breast cancer patients, and then isolate their cells, and with those cells, we can make these little mini hearts," McMullen said. "Then, if we put some cancer drugs onto them, we can see if that impacts how they beat. "We can also test whether one of our protective drugs protects them against any defects in how they beat." The ambitious cardio-oncology project also aims to understand why some patients are more susceptible to cardiotoxicity than others, helping pave the way for more personalised treatment in the future. "We currently have limited knowledge on why cardiotoxicity occurs and which women will be most impacted," McMullen said. "This research has the opportunity to identify women at risk of cardiotoxicity before symptoms are present, so we can develop drugs to protect the heart during and after cancer treatment." national health Breast Cancer Research Australia CONTACT US
SBS Australia
21 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Marine heatwave decimates Western Australia's coral reefs
Marine heatwave decimates Western Australia's coral reefs Published 12 August 2025, 9:24 am Last summer's marine heat wave was the longest, largest, and most intense on record for Western Australia, according to a new report, resulting in unprecedented bleaching across the state's reefs. Scientists are concerned that it's the first time two World Heritage reefs on opposite sides of Australia were bleaching simultaneously. The full impact of the coral bleaching will take months to be fully known.
