Australian scientists discover deep sea corals SYDNEY (AFP) -
Australian scientists mapping the Great Barrier Reef have
discovered corals at depths never before thought possible, with
a deep-sea robot finding specimens in waters nearly as dark as
night. A team from the University of Queensland's Seaview Survey
announced the unprecedented discovery 125m below the surface at
Ribbon Reef, near the Torres Strait and at the edge of the
Australian continental shelf. Dr Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, chief
scientist on the project, told AFP on Thursday that coral had
previously only been shown to exist to depths of 70m and the
finding could bring new understanding about how reefs spawn and
grow. "What's really cool is that these corals still have
photosynthetic symibionts that supposedly still harvest the
light," Dr Hoegh-Guldberg told AFP.