India, Dec. 3 -- For 250 million years, coral reefs have played a pivotal role in regulating Earth's climate by influencing ocean alkalinity and carbon absorption.

Their rise slows recovery from carbon spikes, while collapse accelerates it.

This ancient cycle offers vital lessons today, as modern reef decline could alter carbon dynamics but at immense ecological cost over millennia.

When we think of coral reefs, we picture bright fish, clear water and colourful corals. But reefs have also shaped the planet in deeper ways.

Our new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows reefs have helped regulate Earth's climate and life for more than 250 million years.

They link geology, chemistry and biology into o...