Scientists help bleached corals recover in seven weeks

Stanford researchers discover a fast lab method that helps bleached corals recover in weeks by transferring algae from healthy coral pieces.

B2Published 19 Oct 2026 Updated 19 Oct 2026

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Researchers at Stanford University say they have found a fast way to save bleached corals. In a laboratory, pale and dying corals became healthy again in just seven weeks. This is the fastest recovery anyone has recorded. The study was published on October 14 in the journal Science Advances.

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Researchers at Stanford University they have found a fast way to save bleached corals.

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Corals bleach when the ocean gets too warm. They push out the tiny algae that live inside them and give them food, so they turn white and weak. The team put a bleached coral piece next to a healthy piece from the same colony, so that the two touched. Their tissues joined, and the algae moved across within three days. Pieces that touched recovered, while pieces kept a few millimeters apart died. Lead author Danny Collins said that bleached corals may be dying, but they are not dead yet.

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Corals when the ocean gets too warm.

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The method has a big limit. It needs a healthy copy of every bleached coral, which is impossible on a whole reef. Next, the scientists want to collect algae from healthy corals before a heat wave and give it to bleached ones later. Some experts think corals could disappear within a few decades if the oceans keep warming. So even a small step like this gives people some hope.

Topics Science

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OpinionDo you think governments should spend more money on protecting coral reefs? Why or why not?
OpinionWhich is more important, fixing the damage or stopping the cause of climate change?
ExperienceTell me about a time you visited the sea or a natural place that you want to protect.
ExperienceHave you ever tried to save or repair something that seemed almost lost? What happened?
What ifIf you could study one animal or plant for a year, what would you choose and why?
What ifWhat would you do if your favorite holiday place was in danger of disappearing?

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recover B1
bleach B2
colony B2
tissue C1
heat wave B2
limit B1
warm A2
reef C1

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# Speaking practice: Can science help save coral reefs from warming oceans?

You are my friendly English conversation partner. We talk by voice, so keep every reply short: one to three sentences. Speak English only.

First ask me, in one short question, what my English level is, then use words and sentences at that level.

Topic: Can science help save coral reefs from warming oceans?. It comes from a short text called “Scientists help bleached corals recover in seven weeks”.

Ask these questions one at a time. Wait for my answer, react to it in a few words, then ask the next one.

1. Do you think governments should spend more money on protecting coral reefs? Why or why not?
2. Which is more important, fixing the damage or stopping the cause of climate change?
3. Tell me about a time you visited the sea or a natural place that you want to protect.
4. Have you ever tried to save or repair something that seemed almost lost? What happened?
5. If you could study one animal or plant for a year, what would you choose and why?
6. What would you do if your favorite holiday place was in danger of disappearing?

If I get stuck, give me one of these sentence starters or make the question easier:

- I think that...
- In my country...
- One thing that worries me is...
- If I had the chance, I would...

Encourage me to use these words from the text:

- recover (B1)
- bleach (B2)
- colony (B2)
- tissue (C1)
- heat wave (B2)
- limit (B1)
- warm (A2)
- reef (C1)

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- Quietly keep a list of my mistakes and of the new words I used or needed.
- When I say we are done, or after the last question, give me a summary: my mistakes with the corrected sentences, the new words with a short meaning each, and one thing to practise next.

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