Mystery of the Dying Coral Reefs

Content Info | Transcript

An interview with taxonomist Diana Lipscomb from George Washington University. Dr. Biology dives into the mystery of the dying coral reefs.

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Topic Time
Intro - 00:00
Why are coral reefs important? 01:50
Coral reefs act like a rainforest of the ocean. 02:51
Are coral reefs found everywhere in the ocean? [what they are and what they need to live.] 03:55
Coral reefs are actually two living organisms. [symbiotic relationship] 04:35
What are the functions of coral reefs? 04:47
Importance of learning what species live in and around the coral reefs. 05:36
Photosynthesis and coral reefs. 06:48
Oceans Breathe. [O2 and CO2 relationship] 07:33
Importance of pH. [acid and basic conditions] 8:39
What is the overall health of coral reefs in the world? 09:40
Why are coral reefs dying? 10:18
If some coral has a disease why not just give them medicine? 11:50
How does taxonomy fit into this mystery? 12:32
Protistas and ciliates 13:16
Importance of ciliates for the environment. 14:07
Ciliates and the mysterious deaths of some coral reefs. 15:08
Taxonomy is not just knowing the scientific name of an animal. [exploring, explaining, describing] 15:38
What's a paramiscus? 17:14
How is taxonomy helping finding out the answer to the mystery? 17:55
Is this "disease" moving? [taxonomy also describes where things live] 20:58
What about the pack of marauding hunters? 22:37
Taxonomists as explorers. [we still do not know 90% of what is living on Earth] 25:06
What is the future of coral reefs? 25:37
Life as a taxonomist. 26:32
Three questions  
When did you first know you wanted to be a biologist or scientist? 27:52
What would you do if you could not be a biologist or scientist? 29:05
What advice do you have for someone wanting to be a scientist? 30:09
Sign-off 31:53

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Mystery of the Dying Coral Reefs

Audio editor: Charles Kazilek

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