• 2025 and newer A5


• 2025 and newer Q5


• 2025 and newer SQ5


• 2025 and newer A6


• 2025 and newer S6


• 2025 and newer Q6


• 2025 and newer SQ6

• 2021 and newer 1 Series


• 2021 and newer 2 Series


• 2021 and newer 3 Series


• 2021 and newer 4 Series


• 2021 and newer 5 Series


• 2021 and newer 6 Series


• 2021 and newer 8 Series


• 2021 and newer X5


• 2021 and newer X6


• 2021 and newer X7


• 2021 and newer X5 M


• 2021 and newer X6 M


• 2021 and newer Z4


• 2022 and newer i4


• 2022 and newer iX


• 2022 and newer iX1


• 2022 and newer iX3


• 2023 and newer i3


• 2023 and newer i7


• 2024 and newer i5

• Aceman (produced from May 2024)


• Cooper (3-door) C / S (produced from March 2024)


• Cooper (3-door) E / SE (produced from November 2023)


• Cooper (5-door) (produced from July 2024)


• Countryman (produced from November 2023)

• 2023 and newer Palisade


• 2024 and newer Elantra


• 2024 and newer Kona


• 2024 and newer Santa Fe


• 2024 and newer Sonata


• 2025 and newer Tucson


• 2025 and newer Santa Cruz


• 2025 and newer IONIQ 5


• 2023 and newer IONIQ 6


• 2026 and newer IONIQ 9

• 2023 and newer Telluride


• 2023 and newer Niro


• 2023 and newer Seltos


• 2024 and newer EV3


• 2024 and newer EV6


• 2024 and newer EV9


• 2024 and newer Sorento


• 2025 and newer Carnival

• 2023 and newer GV60


• 2023 and newer G90


• 2024 and newer G70

• 2024 and newer E‑Class


• 2025 and newer EQE


• 2025 and newer EQS

• All models of the Polestar 3


• All models of the Polestar 4

• 2025 and newer RAM 1500

• 2024 and newer EX30


• 2024 and newer EX90

• 2024 and newer Eletre


• 2024 and newer Emeya

• Acura


• Chevrolet


• Cadillac


• GMC


• Porsche


• Rivian


• Smart


• Lucid Motors


• Tata Motors


• Hongqi


• WEY


• Chery


• Voyah

A strip mall redevelopment project in a small Texas town shows how excess parking can be repurposed to create new housing. 

According to a piece by Tiffany Owens Reed for the Parking Reform Network, the adaptive reuse project is a partnership between an incremental real estate developer and Habitat for Humanity, which will build 16 affordable townhouse units on the site. “The properties will provide not just an opportunity to own a home for residents, but also a chance to save money on car ownership by locating them in a more central part of the city with better access to shops, amenities and jobs.”

Explaining his approach to incremental development, developer Monte Anderson offers a few pointers: work in your own backyard; embrace the value of small projects; and embrace partnerships. 

A proposed Texas state bill, Senate Bill 840, could make it easier to do this type of development by allowing property owners “ to build mixed-use and multifamily housing by-right on land they own in commercial and retail districts.” For now, according to Anderson, “Coordinating with other property owners adjacent to the parking lot and securing the necessary platting, infrastructure, financing and approvals are tasks for only the most persistent. But with the right partnerships and with city leadership willing to collaborate and see the adaptive reuse as a long-term investment in its own financial future, it just might be possible.”

• Adaptive Reuse
• Redevelopment
• Affordable Housing
• Habitat for Humanity
• Strip Malls

Apple introduced its first pair of AirPods in 2016, and the little white wireless earbuds have made a significant impact on the audio hardware market since then. Just about every phone maker now puts out their own version of the AirPods, including Google and Samsung.

We’ve seen multiple models launched, but they’ve all been consistently simple to set up and simple to use—it’s part of the AirPods’ appeal. That said, if you dig a little deeper into their functions and features, there are plenty of useful tricks you can do with these buds.

1. Use one AirPod

Using one AirPod can give you double the time between battery charges, and while you lose the stereo effect, it’s perfectly fine for calls and podcasts. There’s actually a mono audio option you can make use of on iPhones and iPads too. From Settings, choose Accessibility > Audio & Visual, then turn on the Mono Audio toggle switch.

2. Connect to more devices

You might think AirPods only work with other Apple devices, but that’s not the case: They’ll connect to anything that supports Bluetooth, so you can use them with phones, TVs, laptops, and more. You just need to find the Bluetooth menu: On Google Pixel phones, open Settings then choose Connected devices > Pair new device, for example.

To put the AirPods in pairing mode, put them in their case, open the lid, then double-tap the front of the case (AirPods 4) or press and hold the setup button on the back (any other AirPods). If you’ve done this right, and assuming the buds have some battery life, the status light should flash white and you can select the AirPods on your other device.

3. Know the gestures

Your AirPods support multiple touch gestures, so you can control audio playback without touching your phone. The supported gestures vary depending on the model, but on the latest AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2, you can press the stem to play and pause audio, double-press the stem to skip forwards a tack, and triple-press the stem to skip back.

These latest AirPods models also let you nod your head to accept incoming calls, and shake your head to reject them—this should work automatically as long as you’ve configured Siri to work with calls on your AirPods. If you head into the attached settings on iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, you can customize the gestures used by your AirPods too.

4. Check on the charging status

Wondering whether your AirPods case has fully charged? When you plug in your AirPods case or put it on a wireless charging mat, you’ll either see an amber light (charging) or a green light (charged)—but you can actually show this light at any time by tapping on the front of the case. Check a connected iPhone, iPad, or Mac for more charging details.

5. Become more adaptive

If you have the AirPods 4 or the AirPods Pro 2, you can take advantage of a suite of Adaptive Audio features. The clue is in the name: These features change the way that audio is piped into your ears, based on the sounds in your immediate environment, so you’re consistently getting the best results no matter where you are.

With your earbuds in your ears, open up the Control Center on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, then tap the volume control. You’ll be able to manage the level of noise cancellation based on your environment, and turn Conversation Awareness on or off, which automatically enhances the voices of the person in front of you when you start speaking to them.

6. Enable spatial audio

Another neat feature (exclusive to the AirPods 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Pro models) is spatial audio. The feature is intended to create a surround sound experience as you move your head, as long as you’re listening to an audio source that supports the standard: Apple TV and Apple Music do of course, as do Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and others.

To enable it through your AirPods, open up the Bluetooth menu in Settings (iPhones or iPads) or System Settings (Macs). Tap the small blue info button next to your AirPods, then pick Personalized Spatial Audio and Personalize Spatial Audio. You’ll then be taken through the setup process, which includes a 3D scan of your face via your device’s camera.

7. Keep track of your AirPods

You can use the Find My app on your Apple devices to locate lost AirPods, as well as phones, tablets, watches, and computers. To make sure your earbuds are included, open Bluetooth from Settings (iOS or iPadOS) or System Settings (macOS), then tap the small blue info button to the right of your AirPods—revealing a Show in Find My option.

The post 7 tips to get more out of your Apple AirPods appeared first on Popular Science.

A new analysis of encampment bans and punitive anti-homelessness measures shows that they do not help decrease actual homelessness — a fact housing advocates have been pointing out for years as the debate over the criminalization of homelessness continues to rage around the country.

As Roshan Abraham explains in Next City, “The study examined the effect of ordinances enacted between 2000 and 2021 across the 100 most populous U.S. cities, using data pulled from Continuums of Care — local entities that administer federal homelessness funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.”

The study, which went beyond camping bans to include other laws against public drunkenness and other actions criminalized in public but not private,  found that in some cases, “a quick dip in visible homelessness when laws were passed followed by a surge in homelessness that exceeded prior levels.”

According to the study, cities that criminalized homelessness saw a 2.2 percent increase in unsheltered homelessness. “The authors did look into whether criminalization ordinances could decrease unsheltered homelessness at the local level by pushing unhoused people into neighboring cities and counties without sanctions, but didn’t find any evidence to support this.”

• Homelessness
• Unhoused
• Criminalization of Homelessness
• Grants Pass v. Johnson

• iPhone 17: Same design and A18 chip as iPhone 16, but with a larger 6.3-inch display. Upgraded 24-megapixel front camera, and possibly 120Hz support.


• iPhone 17 Air: All-new model with an ultra-thin and lightweight design, 6.6-inch display, A19 chip, 12GB of RAM, single 48-megapixel rear camera, 24-megapixel front camera, single speaker, and an optional battery case.


• iPhone 17 Pro: A redesigned rear camera bump with a trio of 48-megapixel cameras, an aluminum frame, an A19 Pro chip, 12GB of RAM, and potentially a vapor chamber cooling system for improved heat dissipation.


• iPhone 17 Pro Max: All of the iPhone 17 Pro features listed above, plus a slightly thicker design for a larger and longer-lasting battery.

• Apple Watch Ultra 3: 5G support, plus satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages in supported areas without Wi-Fi and cellular coverage. Other likely upgrades include an S10 chip or newer, faster charging, and a wide-angle OLED display that is brighter when viewed from an angle.


• Apple Watch Series 11: Spec-bump year with an S11 chip and smaller changes, following bigger design updates with the Series 10 last year.


• Apple Watch SE 3: Initially rumored to feature a plastic case in bright color options, but that might not be happening anymore. Not many rumors beyond that yet, but the Apple Watch SE has not been updated since 2022, so it should catch up with a handful of new features and improvements this year.

• iPad Pro: M5 chip


• Vision Pro: M5 chip


• iMac: M5 chip


• Mac mini: M5 and M5 Pro chips


• MacBook Pro: M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips

• Apple TV 4K (4th generation): Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 support, and likely a newer chip than the A15 Bionic in the current model, for faster performance. A built-in FaceTime camera has been rumored for a future Apple TV, but it is unclear if that will arrive with the next model.


• HomePod mini (2nd generation): Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 support, and likely improved sound quality.


• AirTag (2nd generation): Up to 3× longer item tracking range vs. current AirTag, and a more tamper-proof speaker as an anti-stalking measure.

• AirPods Pro 3: Updated design and improved active noise cancellation, but rumors have been conflicting about a 2025 or 2026 launch.


• Studio Display 2: New model with mini-LED backlighting in late 2025 or early 2026.


• Apple Home Hub: Apple has long been rumored to be planning an all-new smart home hub, which might be something like a HomePod with a square iPad-like screen. It would allow users to control smart home accessories, make FaceTime video calls, use Apple's delayed personalized Siri features, and more.

“For all of their usefulness at Mammoth, Vail, Jackson Hole, and Disney World, gondolas have, with scant exceptions, played no role in urban transport in the United States. But, backers in at least a half-dozen cities are touting the reliability, sustainability, and, yes, fun of gondolas and similar modes of aerial mass transit.”

According to an article by Josh Stephens in InTransition Magazine, “Gondolas have taken hold in Latin America, where systems in Medellin, Colombia; Mexico City; and La Paz, Bolivia, have revolutionized mobility in mountainous, but densely populated, neighborhoods. They’ve also made transit safer, literally taking commuters off the streets, where pedestrians are vulnerable to vehicular violence and crime.”

Although a handful of U.S. cities have considered gondolas — “Proposals have included: spanning the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Rosslyn, Virginia; Clearwater and Clearwater Beach, Fla.; the San Diego waterfront; and Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco” — none of these systems have begun development. For now, “Each exists only in planning documents — or simply in backers’ imaginations.”

• Gondolas
• Aerial Trams
• Public Transit
• Aerial Gondola

Eggs: To refrigerate or not to refrigerate? It’s a question that’s sparked countless Instagram and TikTok videos and plenty of cross-continental confusion. 

“Eggs don’t go in the fridge,” some Europeans say with a shrug.

“That’s how you get Salmonella!” cry Americans.

So who’s right? What does science actually say?

When a hen lays an egg, it’s coated with a natural protective layer called the cuticle. This thin film is made mostly of glycoproteins, along with small amounts of carbohydrates and fats. Its job is to act as the egg’s first line of defense, helping to block bacteria from passing through the shell. The thickness of the cuticle can vary depending on the hen’s age and breed.

In the 1970s, concerns about foodborne illness led US egg producers to adopt egg washing as standard practice. The approach caught on in Canada, Japan, as well as Scandinavia—but not in most of Europe.

Washing eggs before they’re used can help reduce the risk that fecal matter or soil contaminants on the shell enter into the food, Bryan Quoc Le, who holds a PhD in food science and is the author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered, tells Popular Science. 

But washing an egg has consequences: It removes the cuticle of the eggshell, Le explains. Once the cuticle is gone, the egg becomes vulnerable to bacterial entry—and must be refrigerated to slow bacterial growth.

[Related: Science says this is the perfect way to boil eggs]

Theoretically unwashed eggs can be kept unrefrigerated for several weeks without getting contaminated by bacteria, Le said. 

But there’s a catch: The cuticle can sometimes be damaged, Le explained. If the protective layer is compromised, bacteria like Salmonella can sneak in.

Deana Jones, who earned her PhD in poultry science and is the center director at the US National Poultry Research Center, recommends storing eggs in the fridge—regardless of whether they are washed or not. 

“Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens do not grow well at temperatures below 45°F,” she says. Keeping eggs cold drastically reduces food safety risks.

This matches official guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which advises consumers to store eggs in their original carton in a clean refrigerator set to 40°F or below.

Some people worry that storing eggs in the fridge ruins their quality. But the science says otherwise.

Jones and her colleagues ran a study looking at how egg quality holds up over time under different storage conditions. They found that refrigeration actually preserves quality.

“After 15 weeks of cold storage, refrigerated eggs had yolk quality values greater than room temperature eggs after less than 24 hours of storage.” 

The FDA advises eating hard-cooked eggs—in the shell or peeled—within 1 week after cooking. Leftover egg-based dishes should be refrigerated and eaten within three to four days. 

If you live in the US, the eggs you buy at the supermarket are most likely washed and need to be kept in the fridge. 

If you’re in a country where eggs are sold unwashed—like much of the European Union—they can be safely stored at room temperature for several weeks if the cuticle is still intact. But that protective barrier can be damaged without you knowing it. So, there’s the risk of spoilage when storing eggs outside the fridge, even if they’re unwashed.

This story is part of Popular Science’s Ask Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

The post Should you keep eggs in the fridge? Short answer: Yes. appeared first on Popular Science.

Despite the city's claims that Detroit’s property tax assessments are now accurate, advocates argue the system still overtaxes lower-valued homes — disproportionately harming Black homeowners and threatening generational wealth.

The article follows Tahira Ahmad, a lifelong Detroiter who claims she has overpaid more than $30,000 in taxes due to an overassessment. Her story reflects a larger crisis: between 2011–2015, over 100,000 Detroit homes were foreclosed due to unpaid property taxes — an issue a researcher calls “legal violence.”

Advocates are demanding reforms, compensation for overpaid taxes, and stronger oversight to address what they say is an ongoing injustice.

• Detroit
• Property Tax
• Equity
• Black Homeownership
• Homeownership

La missione Copernicus Sentinel-2 cattura un'immagine priva di nuvole di Zanzibar e di parte della costa orientale

We get it: Your Netflix feed is cluttered with “shows you might like,” but it’s mostly trash. Between the recycled reality shows and documentaries that become internet trends and nothing more, it’s no wonder your brain is always itching for more. That’s why we’re bringing you this MagellanTV deal.

During Deal Days—our version of Prime Day—you can get lifetime access to this documentary streaming service for what you’d normally pay for just a year of another platform like Netflix: $149.97 (reg. $999). Yeah, that actually means after you pay once, they’ll never ask you to pay fees ever again. And there are no ads.

While other services treat documentaries and docu-series like leftovers, MagellanTV makes them the main course. You’ll find bingeable series on:

• Ancient civilizations that actually go beyond Egypt 101
• Cutting-edge science and tech, from quantum physics to AI ethics
• Space exploration, including deep dives on Mars missions, black holes, and exoplanets
• Military history from all over the globe, not just the top ten WWII battles
• True crime, culture, and nature, all told without the sensationalism

Good luck trying to get through it all—there are over 4,000 films and series to get through. Plus, new content is added on a weekly basis, so you won’t be scrolling through the same, limited selection like you currently are on Netflix.

The only issue may be deciding what to watch first, and the service covers that as well with playlists. Find one that scratches your current itch, kick back with a snack, and see what MagellanTV plays next.

Get a MagellanTV lifetime subscription for $149.97 during our Deal Days sale, only valid for a limited time. Share with up to five people!

StackSocial prices subject to change.

_

MagellanTV Documentary Streaming Service: Lifetime Subscription

See Deal

The post Ditch Netflix. Its documentary-loving competitor has ZERO fees. appeared first on Popular Science.

$418.99 worth of Microsoft software for $45? Either this is a glitch, or someone on the pricing team is getting a very uncomfortable call from their boss. Just kidding … it’s Deal Days—our version of Prime Day—and we’re treating our readers to some unbeatable discounts on things they actually need.

If you’ve been thinking, “Geez, my computer is on the verge of death,” don’t give up on it just yet. Upgrading to Windows 11 Pro and a fresh install of Microsoft Office can make it feel like new again, especially when the bundle is 89 percent off right now. This price drop ends July 20 or when we sell out of codes, so act fast if you’re interested!

• Better multitasking tools: Features like Snap Layouts and virtual desktops help you juggle work, play, and everything in between more smoothly than Windows 10.
• Remote Desktop access: Connect to your PC from anywhere—ideal for remote workers or anyone who needs flexibility.
• BitLocker encryption: Extra security for your files and data, especially important if you travel or share your computer.
• Hyper-V virtualization: Run different operating systems or test software in isolated environments, right from your desktop.
• Windows Copilot: Built-in AI assistant to help with productivity, organization, and even writing tasks.

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote: You’ll get lifetime access to the core Office apps—no subscription, no cloud dependency, just install and use.
• Publisher and Access included: Get these Windows-exclusive apps that aren’t even part of the latest Microsoft Office suite. Publisher is even being phased out of Microsoft 365, making this license the last option to own it on your PC.
• Works offline: You don’t need an internet connection to access your files or use the apps.

Don’t miss this Microsoft deal! Codes can sell out any time, so get yours at $44.97 now (reg. $418.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

_

The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle

See Deal

The post Someone’s getting fired. How is this Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro deal only $45? appeared first on Popular Science.

• Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous models, and the layout of the MagSafe magnets may change as a result.


• Faster MagSafe charging: iPhone 17 Pro models may offer faster MagSafe wireless charging speeds with a new version of Apple's MagSafe Charger.

• Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a stainless steel frame. The back of the devices will supposedly have a new "part-aluminum, part-glass" design.


• Rectangular camera bump: iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to have a large rectangular camera bump with rounded corners. Apple apparently plans to stick with a triangular arrangement for the rear camera lenses.


• Sky Blue finish: Like the latest MacBook Air, the iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to be available in a Sky Blue color.


• Larger battery: The iPhone 17 Pro Max is rumored to have a slightly thicker design that allows for a larger battery.


• A19 Pro chip: iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to use Apple's next-generation A19 Pro chip, which will reportedly be manufactured with TSMC's newer third-generation 3nm process. Like usual, expect modest year-over-year performance gains and power efficiency improvements compared to the current iPhones.


• Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip: All four iPhone 17 models are rumored to get a Wi-Fi 7 chip designed by Apple rather than Broadcom.


• 24-megapixel front camera: All four iPhone 17 models are said to feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, whereas all iPhone 16 models are equipped with a 12-megapixel front-facing camera.


• 48-megapixel rear Telephoto camera: An upgraded 48-megapixel Telephoto camera is rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, up from the 12-megapixel Telephoto camera on iPhone 16 Pro models.


• Dual video recording: According to Jon Prosser, of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will allow users to record video with the front and rear cameras simultaneously in the Camera app.


• 8K video recording: Apple allegedly tested 8K video recording on the iPhone 16 Pro models, but such functionality is still not available. With the iPhone 17 Pro models expected to have entirely 48-megapixel rear cameras, perhaps 8K video recording will debut on those devices.


• 12GB of RAM: iPhone 17 Pro models, and even the iPhone 17 Air, are rumored to have 12GB of RAM. This upgrade should help to improve the performance of Apple Intelligence and multitasking. All four iPhone 16 models have 8GB of RAM.


• Improved cooling: All four iPhone 17 models are rumored to feature internal design changes that result in better heat dissipation. A vapor chamber cooling system has been rumored for the Pro models specifically.

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Downtown Miami might not be the first place that comes to mind when it comes to coral. Yet the Magic City is bordered by two enormous national parks–Everglades National Park to the west and the busy waters of Biscayne National Park to the east. These protected areas bring an incredible amount of biodiversity right into the bustling metropolis–including coral reefs.

The Coral City Camera gives viewers an inside look at the ecosystem with a livestream of an urban reef located in the Port of Miami. The project is a public art and scientific research project by Coral Morphologic and produced with Bridge Initiative and Bas Fisher Invitational. The Coral City Camera first began in 2019 and its audience grew as COVID-19 lockdowns had thousands dreaming of life under the sea. It has spotted over 218 species of fish and sharks, and even  manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, squid, and sea birds.

Popular Science spoke with marine biologist and Coralmorphologic director Colin Foord about this art and science project, whose motto and mission is “civic pride through biodiversity.” Answers have been condensed for clarity.

Laura Baisas: How did this project begin?

Colin Foord: I’m a marine biologist and I studied at the University of Miami. I have been growing corals for almost 30 years now, since even before I got to Miami. In high school, I was growing corals in my bedroom in New Hampshire. I wound up being a lot more inspired by artists and musicians at the school. Miami, at the time, was going through a renaissance related to Art Basel, and it was becoming a cultural hub of art.

Also, in Miami, nature doesn’t really have a clear boundary. We’re surrounded by it, and they’ve [corals] taken advantage of our taxpayer funded infrastructure to set up and thrive. So, the Coral City Camera was born out of this recognition that we have all this marine life right below the waterline in Miami, and nobody was even really paying any attention to it.

LB: What animals do you see on the camera?

CF: We’re unique in the fact that we have megafauna like manatees. Those are for sure charismatic. Who doesn’t like a manatee? Seeing sharks has been one of the more surprising things. There’s a lot of sharks that live there. Lemon sharks are cool because they’re like salmon. The females return to where they were born to pup and so this is clearly a nearby nursery area. It’s always surprising when we see sea turtles and dolphins. But I think one of the things that is also very, very cool about the site is that I’ve started to refer to it as the parrot fish capital of the world. We have so many parrot fish and they are a really important part of the ecological health of a coral reef. They eat the algae that competes with the coral. 

LB: Why do corals live in the Port of Miami?

CF: There’s not very many places in the world where corals are pioneering into places that they previously couldn’t live before humans existed there and this happens to be one of them. 

There are springs coming up throughout the bay so there’s much lower salinity. They also had to dredge the shipping channel because coral reefs were once a terror to ships. So now, every incoming high tide is bringing clear water from five miles offshore, straight into downtown Miami. It’s like a pipeline that’s bringing coral larvae and tropical fish. Then at low tide, it flushes a lot of nutrients in that water that’s good for the coral. As long as they’re getting that clean bath between this nutrient and phytoplankton, rich water. 

Much of Miami Beach, the Port of Miami, and a lot of these islands are all dredged out of the muck to begin with. Because real estate is really what Miami has to sell, the only way to protect that waterfront real estate is building sea walls. These require cement and rock wrap to hold it all together, which then creates the hard substrate that the corals and marine life can colonize, so they actually have a place to live. 

LB: What role do corals play in the ecosystem as a whole? 

CF: So corals are community builders. They’re the first real estate developers on planet Earth. They build the homes and the structures that all the other fish and marine life are attracted to. They’re the original city builders. 

What we see is that the camera basically has accomplished the same thing in building a human community. I describe it as kind of like a digital campfire. 

LB: How is this project aiding conservation research, especially as bleaching events continue to escalate?

CF: If you’re going to restore coral reefs, you need to select strains of corals that are going to be resistant to bleaching and stress. What we saw in the Coral City Cameras was that most of the corals that were native to the Port of Miami didn’t bleach in 2023 [when many of Florida’s corals bleached due to extreme heat.]

Most excitingly, we have that strain of stag for an elkhorn coral that are expressing genes that are related to resilience, and their microbiome is also quite different from the same species that are living offshore. So we’ve now clearly been able to identify that these corals are adapting. They are different. When they didn’t bleach in 2023 it really highlighted the fact that these strains that we have at the Port of Miami are probably some of the most valuable genetics of corals that we have in all of Florida, in the least expected place.

LB: Why do you think that livestream cameras like this are important for both humans and wildlife?

CF: It’s a technological reminder that we need nature in our lives. It uses technology to bring that nature directly into our offices, into our classrooms. It’s a very non-invasive way to appreciate nature. There’s no human underwater there. If we’re going to save the planet, I think a network of these live streaming cameras in nature is absolutely critical, because that’s how the world becomes smaller. It’s how people get invested in caring for a place that might not be in their own backyard. But it can become your virtual backyard. So when you have kids that can be engaged watching these happy, healthy creatures in nature. 

The post Real Coral Reefs of Miami: A Q&A with the marine biologist behind a popular livestream appeared first on Popular Science.