{"id":41352,"date":"2024-09-04T09:42:42","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T07:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/e9c40732-3a01-489b-ba0f-d8a365cca3a2"},"modified":"2024-09-04T10:27:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T08:27:29","slug":"this-is-not-a-plot-line-from-jurassic-park-scientists-are-growing-babies-in-a-lab-to-save-animals-from-extinction","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/this-is-not-a-plot-line-from-jurassic-park-scientists-are-growing-babies-in-a-lab-to-save-animals-from-extinction\/","title":{"rendered":"“This is not a plot line from Jurassic Park.” Scientists are growing babies in a lab to save animals from extinction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers in Florida are collecting and freezing coral eggs and sperm to protect vulnerable species from going extinct. <\/p>

By Melissa Hobson\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 04 September 2024 at 07:42 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Researchers in Florida are trying to catch coral<\/a> spawn to freeze and grow into coral babies as a way of protecting threatened reefs.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

\u201cHow do I explain this? So, corals in Florida are having sex and so scientists are freezing their spawn to make sure that they don\u2019t go extinct,\u201d says marine scientist\u00a0Shireen Rahimi<\/a>. \u201cNo, this is not a plot line from Jurassic Park.\u201d<\/p>

“Corals of tomorrow”: a researcher plants a coral baby in the wild. Credit: Shireen Rahimi and the Coral Restoration Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Each August, corals in Florida release their eggs and sperm into the water en masse in an attempt to reproduce. This usually happens around the full moon.\u00a0<\/p>

But Florida\u2019s corals, threatened by warming waters and pollution, are incredibly vulnerable. \u201cFlorida\u2019s corals are super stressed out,\u201d says Rahimi. <\/p>

\u201cOur coral reefs have functionally collapsed. They can\u2019t reproduce on their own anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Watch: marine scientist Shireen Rahimi explains why Florida’s coral needs help \u2013 and exactly how researchers are growing coral babies. Credit: Shireen Rahimi and the Coral Restoration Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>