"They think of all this weird stuff," Mary Hagedorn tells NPR.
"But think human fertility techniques."
Hagedorn works at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and she's come up with a novel way to protect coral reefs from the effects of climate change.
In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, Hagedorn and her colleagues took living pieces of coral from a reef in Hawaii and got them really cold, down to minus-196 degrees Celsius.
Normally, that would kill a living thing, but they found a way to thaw it out so the coral is still alive.
Hagedorn says they're working on how to make the coral healthy after it thaws.
But if it works, the idea is to create a frozen library of coral from around the world, "basically a Noah's Ark," Hagedorn says.
"We have to get through this."
Coral reefs are a vital ecosystem, not just for marine life but to protect coastal cities from waves and storms.
This summer, water temperatures there hit 100 degrees, at least in my career so far, the most severe bleaching event that I have witnessed.
This is, at least in my career so far, the most severe bleaching event that Read the Entire Article
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iTunes U has a variety of courses geared towards social entrepreneurship. With this app, it allows students to have customized learning experiences. Through learning that’s tailored to suit every student aspiring to be a social entrepreneur, SocialEarth.org checks off the top iTunes U courses and classes that are free to take. Some have videos, others have only audio. Take your pick: