Human Poop Is Killing the Coral

This is what coral is supposed to look like. The bad news is that a bacteria from human sewage is killing coral in the Florida Keys and making it look like this.

The good news? The problem is fixable with a simple filter.

But there's more bad news. While Florida might be motivated to install filters to fix the problem, which is outlined in a study published on Thursday in PLOS One, other countries in the Caribbean might not be as diligent or have the means to install filters.

Oh and then there's even more bad news. Poop is just one of the threats facing coral reefs. Others include acidification, ocean warming and coral bleaching, carbon dioxide, water pollution, sedimentation, overfishing, coral mining, coastal development, careless tourism and ozone depletion.

Time's blogger says it well: "Coral reefs are the rain forests of the sea, home to amazing marine biodiversity. The least we can do is stop making them sick."