Could this bacteria save coral reefs from the heat?

Researchers have found that a bacterium living in some corals can produce hormones that may help them cope with heat stress. The discovery could point to ways of improving coral resilience as marine heat waves become more frequent, although the study does not establish that the method will work across reefs.

The team studied endangered Acropora pharaonis corals in the Persian Gulf, where water reached 34°C in 2016. Colonies that stayed healthy retained Endozoicomonas bacteria, while diseased colonies had lost them; the bacteria produced testosterone and progesterone, which appear to help regulate the corals’ immune response. Progesterone seems especially important, but the article text provided ends before describing the researchers’ full findings.