Researchers may have discovered the key to synchronised mass coral spawning in an ancient gene that produces primitive light-sensitive pigments known as cryptochromes that developed more than 500 million years ago. These pigments may allow corals to sense moonlight, thus enabling them to coordinate simultaneous spawning across vast distances. Cryptochromes occur in insects, fish and mammals (in people too), so perhaps there’s something to the age-old tradition of romance by moonlight after all? Read more here.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 20th, 2007 at 1:23 pm and is filed under FiNS Fun Facts.