珊瑚礁与海滩在拉贾安帕特，印度尼西亚 Coral reef and beach in Raja Ampat, Indonesia (© SergeUWPhoto/Shutterstock)

细微之举，影响深远 Small footprint, big impact

珊瑚礁意识周

想象一座由动物建造的城市，在阳光下熠熠生辉，并在海浪之下涌动着生命。这就是珊瑚礁。在珊瑚礁意识周（Coral Reef Awareness Week）期间，我们赞美这些非凡的生态系统，以及依赖其生存的无数物种

珊瑚礁仅覆盖了全球不足1%的海床面积，却支撑着约25%的海洋生命。这些看似彩色岩石的物体，实际上是被称为珊瑚虫（Coral polyps）的微小动物集群。它们共同构建了宏大的石灰岩结构，且能延续数千年之久。大堡礁是地球上最大的生物结构，沿着澳大利亚海岸延伸超过1,400英里。

珊瑚礁充满了惊喜。部分珊瑚因含有能起到天然防晒作用的荧光蛋白而发光；而鹦嘴鱼则通过将珊瑚转化为细砂，协助形成了沙滩。若想一窥珊瑚礁生命最丰富的一面，请看向图中所示的印度尼西亚拉贾安帕特（Raja Ampat），那里生长着超过75%的已知珊瑚物种。它们虽栖息于水下，但其影响力远播至海岸线之外。

Coral Reef Awareness Week

Imagine a city built by animals, glowing in the sunlight, and bustling with life beneath the waves. That is a coral reef. During Coral Reef Awareness Week, we celebrate these remarkable ecosystems and the countless species that depend on them.

Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, yet they support roughly 25% of all marine life. What look like colorful rocks are actually colonies of tiny animals called coral polyps. Together, they build vast limestone structures that can last for thousands of years. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth, stretching more than 1,400 miles along Australia's coast.

Reefs are full of surprises. Some corals glow thanks to fluorescent proteins that act like natural sunscreen, while parrotfish help create sandy beaches by turning coral into fine sand. For a glimpse of reef life at its richest, look to Raja Ampat in Indonesia, pictured here, where more than 75% of known coral species thrive. They may live underwater, but their impact reaches far beyond the shore.

印度洋珊瑚礁, 马约特岛, 法国 Coral reef in the Indian Ocean, Mayotte, France (© Gabriel Barathieu/Minden Pictures)

意义深远 Deep and meaningful

珊瑚礁保护意识周

盛开的柱状珊瑚、绿色的海龟和五颜六色的珊瑚鱼，欢迎来到珊瑚礁这个欣欣向荣的水下世界。从7月15日到21日，珊瑚礁保护意识周是向他们致敬的最佳时机。珊瑚礁是由被称为珊瑚虫的微小海洋生物形成的，珊瑚虫创造了巨大的群落，为各种海洋物种提供了家园。当我们把注意力转向它们的美丽和益处的同时，认识到潜在的威胁（气候变化、污染和有害的人类活动）也至关重要。

今天的照片展示的是印度洋海面下的天堂马约特岛。这座法属岛屿拥有世界上最大、最深的泻湖之一，周围环绕着近100英里长的珊瑚礁。马约特岛的泻湖是250多种珊瑚和3500多种海洋物种的家园。但它正面临着众多威胁，包括过度捕捞和珊瑚白化（即珊瑚体内的共生藻离开或死亡，珊瑚就会变白，最终因失去营养供应而死）。因此，本周让我们共同承诺保护这些美丽的珊瑚礁！轻轻潜入水下，因为一滴水花都能惊扰到这些生灵。

Coral Reef Awareness Week

Blooming pillar corals, green sea turtles, and colorful reef fishes—welcome to the underwater universe of coral reefs. They are formed by tiny marine organisms called coral polyps, which create vast colonies housing many species. As we celebrate their beauty and benefits, it's vital to recognize the lurking threats of climate change, pollution, and harmful human activities.

This underwater scene was photographed at Mayotte, a French island region in the Indian Ocean. Mayotte boasts one of the world's largest and deepest lagoons, encircled by a coral reef nearly 100 miles long. It is home to over 250 species of coral and more than 3,500 marine species. But it is facing numerous threats, including overfishing and coral bleaching, where corals expel the algae that live in their tissues, leading to a loss of color and essential energy sources. So, in Coral Reef Awareness Week, let's pledge to preserve coral reefs like this one.

加勒比海的片脑纹珊瑚，开曼群岛 Symmetrical brain coral on a reef in the Caribbean Sea near Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (© Alex Mustard/Minden Pictures)

Brain coral

You needn't be a genius to guess how brain coral got its name. But you could just as easily call it 'maze coral' after its labyrinthine surface. Either way, this sea organism is an apt mascot for today's cerebral celebration: Puzzle Day!

From mazes to math problems to minute mysteries, you can find puzzles to tease just about every part of your brain, from the logical left hemisphere to the creative and crafty right. While medical science hasn't fully established that regular practice with puzzles benefits the brain, it's thought that solving puzzles helps concentration, pattern recognition, and memory. Or maybe they're just fun—but hey, that's excuse enough to riddle away the day on your favorite puzzles. Try starting off with today's homepage quiz.

脑珊瑚

你不必是个天才就能猜出brain coral是如何得名的。但你也可以简单地用迷宫般的表面来称呼它为“迷宫珊瑚”。不管怎样，这种海洋生物都是今天大脑庆祝活动的吉祥物：拼图日！

从迷宫到数学问题，再到微小的谜题，你可以找到谜题来挑逗你大脑的每一个部分，从逻辑的左半球到创造性和狡猾的右半球。虽然医学尚未完全证实经常练习拼图对大脑有益，但人们认为解决拼图有助于集中注意力、模式识别和记忆。或者也许它们只是好玩，但嘿，这足以让你在你最喜欢的谜题上度过这一天。试着从今天的主页测试开始。