Environmental News Network - Leveraging Nanotechnology to Save Coral Reefs

Details: By Arizona State University; 14.Jun

At a scale 100,000 times smaller than the width of a single blade of your hair, nanotechnology — the study and manipulation of individual atoms and molecules — has paved the way for solutions to some of the world’s most pressing biomedical, agricultural and materials science challenges.

Cheryl Porter

At a scale 100,000 times smaller than the width of a single blade of your hair, nanotechnology — the study and manipulation of individual atoms and molecules — has paved the way for solutions to some of the world’s most pressing biomedical, agricultural and materials science challenges.

Now, imagine: What if we apply nano-level technology to other urgent challenges, like coral reef conservation?

Two new papers published in Nature Nanotechnology and One Earth, led by Liza Roger, assistant professor in Arizona State University’s School of Molecular Sciences and affiliate faculty in ASU’s School of Ocean Futures, examine the potential to leverage nanotechnology for coral reef ecosystem science.

Coral reefs, largely unseen, harbor the highest biodiversity of any ecosystem globally and directly support more than 500 million people worldwide, yet are under continued assault from coastal and near-shore development, overfishing, pollution and climate change.

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Leveraging Nanotechnology to Save Coral Reefs