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Growing Bacteria from Corals

Searching for useful chemicals, ocean scientists grow bacteria associated with deep-sea coral on nutrient agar.
(Christina Kellogg, USGS)

Searching for useful chemicals, marine scientists grow bacteria associated with deep-sea coral on nutrient agar to identify the bacteria and test their metabolic and biochemical capabilities. Some may be sources of potential medicines. Learn more about how ocean scientists study deep-sea corals in our Deep-sea Corals article.