Caption

Coral reef research. Equipment being used in a laboratory as part of research into coral reefs. This equipment is being used to analyse the genetics of the coral. Two samples of coral exoskeletons (white) are at bottom. The machine is a Universal Mutation Detection System, from the Biorad company. Mutations in the coral can either be harmful, leading to the death of the coral, or helpful, allowing it to adapt to changing conditions, such as those produced by global warming. Photographed at the University of Newcastle, UK.