Why scientists are using cheap picnic coolers to protect some of the world’s most endangered animals

The island nation of Palau is home to some of the world’s most pristine coral reefs. Here, two pink anemonefish, a kind of clownfish, swim above an anemone that’s nestled within a patch of lettuce coral. PALAU, Micronesia — The ride out to sea was, in a word, unpleasant. The coastal waters of Palau, an island nation in the western Pacific, are typically calm and electric blue, like what you might see on a screensaver or postcard. The country has put in place some of the world’s most rigorous…