A slice through the center of a long-dead brain coral is a slice through human and ocean history. This 1,000-pound coral grew near Bermuda for 200 years during the Little Ice Age. Radiating marks visible in the photo are grooves from the quarry saw that sliced through the coral. The coral changed its growth direction once in about 1650, and marine life eroded its surface, but scientists can analyze the coral?s inner skeleton and decipher ocean temperatures during its lifespan. (Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)[back]
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