And in the field of science, a new research study has nailed another body care product to the wall. Sunscreen, your body's friend against the sun's unforgiving rays, may be beneficial to humans, but researchers say it isn't the same with coral. In fact, sunscreen may be killing them. And as we've learned from numerous environmental campaigns, messing with coral is a big no-no. More at the full story.

U.S. National Science Foundation's John Bruno just finished a study conclusively connecting warmer sea temperatures the coral disease White Syndrome that has been plaguing Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The study was started back in 2001 and included a total number of 48 reefs across more than 900 miles of the world's largest coral reef.

"We've linked disease and warm water, which is one of the aspects of global warming. Our study suggests as global warming warms the oceans more and more, we could see more disease outbreaks and more severe ones," commented Bruno. The same phenomenon is also putting Australia on the brink of an epic drought.

The White Syndrome is present across the Pacific Region but is most prevalent in the water of Australia. In fact, the frequency of the disease increased 20 folds back in 2002 after just a year into the study when The Land Down Under experienced its second warmest summer.

Also, Bruno found out that the effect of the temperature is highly dependent on the density of the coral cover. For example, the healthiest reefs suffered the most severe disease outbreaks because they had the most dense concentrations of coral polyps.

Less than 25 years. That's the time it will take for 60 percent of the coral reefs to die. This was the prediction of coral reef experts, citing pollutants - such as runoff from construction sites and toxins from boat paints - and global warming as the main culprits.

According to Tyler Smith of the University of the Virgin Islands, "Given current rates of degradation of reef habitats, this is a plausible prediction." The loss of corals in the Carribean waters a year ago supported this forecast. And at the World Conservation Union last year, scientists estimated that by 2045, half of all reefs could actually die.

Silt runoff from construction sites actually prevent the corals from getting enough sunlight. Apart from this, a record boom of fleshy, green algae also adds to the problem as they are in direct competition with the corals for sunlight. On a bigger scale though, it is climate change that mainly affects coral reefs. Because of the rising sea temperatures, the reefs lose their pigments, thus making them more susceptible to disease and  more vulnerable to pollutants.

In the last 50 years, up to 30 percent of the world's coral reefs have died, while another 30 percent are severely damaged. And of course, you may very well expect that with the population of reefs dwindling down, marine life will definitely be the ones to be hit the hardest, much more than scuba-diving hobbyists.

New coral research says that 75% of the world’s coral reefs may not be able to cope with climate change, thus putting them in grave danger. In fact, a mere 1 degree rise in sea temperature is expected to be fatal to the coral.

Previously, it was believed corals could adapt to warmer temperatures by forming new symbiotic relationships with algae. Now, a new study revealed only 23% of the more than 442 coral species is capable of this mechanism.

The adaptive mechanism was seen during the 1997-1998 El Nino. Corals along the Panama coast were able to switch from one algae (clade C) to another (clade D.) The algae kept the coral alive by supplying them with nutrients. Coral without this adaptation becomes bleached and dies.

The world’s coral reefs also face threat from coastal pollution and acidifying oceans. These could cause coral to lose the algae that keep it alive. According to experts, 95% of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef will be gone by 2050.

Researchers say it is possible this adaptive mechanism is more widespread since the study only covered a tiny sliver of the 93,000 known coral species.

Coral is a common name for several species of invertebrate animals. Coral reefs are the animals' stony skeletons, a calcium carbonate crystalline framework secreted by the epidermis of individual coral organisms. Coral reefs in the tropics provide limestone materials for building roads and other types of coral have been used as ornaments.

Coral reef also provides protection and shelter for many species of fish and mollusks, including many commercially important species that feed between 30 and 40 million people every year.