Coral Kiss new videos are product of Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers who developed a ground-breaking imaging system. It is called Benthic Underwater Microscope (BUM) and it monitors the life cycle and their fight for survival. This device will be operated by divers as companion of the underwater observatory. The diver has the controls of the BUM through an interface, tethered to a central processing midpoint.

In the rare video captured by this device, researchers was able to view coral growths kissing one another and their battles over territory. This is the first time coral kiss was seen in their marine environment. The primitive fight for survival has huge impact in the research, Tech Times wrote. This is first and only time such activity has been documented in the wild by researchers.

Andrew Mullen of Scripps and the Jacobs School of Engineering said that this underwater microscope is the first instrument to capture the seafloor at a very small scales. The imaging system is also capable of sighting features as small as a cell underwater.

The BUM is equipped with lenses producing an extreme magnifications that can image detail as small as a hundredth of a millimeter. LED lights delivers BUM with the capability to record high-speed contacts, as well as objects producing light in dark marine settings. The microscope is also able to alter focus to record 3D images of targets, Tech Times added.

Meanwhile, corals have been observed previously under microscopes, but only under the confines of aboratory settings. Moreover, this considerably impacts the findings since natural processes are disturbed.

In their natural environment, Turf battles resulted between neighboring coral of different species, as the creatures spit enzymes at one another via filaments getting through the water. There were times they are seen embracing one another once they belong to the same species. Kissing is the term biologists use to refer to this behavior.

Further analysis of the microscopic and brekout photos taken of coral kiss is summarized in the journal Nature Communications.

Watch how coral kiss in the video below:

Related