Project Grant 2318775

This two-year, $299,082 National Science Foundation Division of Ocean Sciences project grant will support research into using ancient DNA to illuminate the fate of Caribbean coral reefs. The principal investigator at the University of Texas at Austin will expand on prior work demonstrating the ability to sequence ancient DNA from coral fragments up to 6,000 years old. The project will compare corals and their microbes from Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands over the past few thousand years, aiming to detect genetic differences that may help unravel the history of coral populations. Outreach activities will include press releases, social media, public lectures, and potentially a documentary film. The funding also supports one graduate student and one undergraduate student from underrepresented backgrounds. This award falls under the NSF's Geosciences program (CFDA #47.050), which aims to expand fundamental knowledge and understanding of the integrated Earth system through basic research in atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences.