For thousands of years, the Great Barrier Reef has had the power to regenerate itself — so until 2017, coral transplantation was illegal. The rule was simple: let nature recover itself. Then mass bleaching events driven by global warming changed everything.

This summer, for the first time, scientists released tens of thousands of genetically selected, heat-tolerant baby corals - attaching them to ceramic stars and dropping them from boats in a bid to boost survival. The ambitious goal of this government-funded project is to plant millions of these devices using robots.

But can engineered human intervention work at the scale of an ecosystem the size of Japan? Is restoration a lifeline - or a distraction from cutting emissions? And what’s riskier: playing God with nature, or doing nothing?

This week, we're joined by Dr Cedric Robillot, Executive Director of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program, to explore what the Reef’s future looks like — because one thing is certain: it won’t resemble its past.

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