charlie veron, marine biologist: "in just two years."e to save what's left of the reefin april, the government pledged around four hundred million u.s. dollars to come up with ways to protect it.line bay, australian institute of marine sciences: "all our pilot studies are suggesting that it's possible to help the reef help itself."dr. lineays one of the scientists at a government research center trying to genetically engineer heat resistant corals. scientists are also experimenting with a kind of i- v-f treatment to boost reproduction in the wild.in this lab, they test what they call a sunshield.thinner than a human hairit could theoretically protect coral from the sun.guided by artificial intelligenceits designed to one day patrol the reefand protect the coral from predators.line bay, australian institute of marine sciences: "there are still options available to us if we start looking at it now. we just can't wait 20 years and then start thinking about this." (jrstone)that was ivan watson reporting.preliminary trials of the coral i-v-f

charlie veron, marine biologist: "in just two years."ft of the reefin april, the government pledged around four hundred million u.s. dollars to come up with ways to protect it.line bay, australian institute of marine sciences: "all our pilot studies are suggesting that it's possible to help the reef help itself."dr. line bay is one of the scientists at a government research center trying to genetically engineer heat resistant corals. scientists are also experimenting with a kind of i- v-f treatment to boost reproduction in the wild.in this lab, they test what they call a sunshield.thinner than a human hairit could theoretically protect coral from the sun.guided by artificial intelligenceits designed to one day patrol the reefand protect the coral from predators.line bay, australian institute of marine sciences: "there are still options available to us if we start looking at it now. we just can't wait 20 years and then start thinking about this." (catherinei) (catherinei)three new crew members were welcomed aboard the international space

. >> reporter: charlie veron is the world's leading authority on the great barrier reef.career spanning nearly half a century, he's discovered a quarter of the world's coral. >> do you still remember the first time you came out and saw some of this? >> i'll never forget the first time i did it. it made an immense impression on me. i was absolutely -- my life started. >> reporter: the 73-year-old godfather of coral gives me a guided tour. with a few short strokes, we dive into a vibrant underwater universe, a place where living coral, some of it centuries old, provides shelter and food for countless species of marine life. but then veron takes me to a nearby patch where the coral is dead as far as the eye can see. these coral forests cooked to death by record marine heat waves in 2016 and 2017. >> it's about half of all the corals of the great barrier reef, killed off. >> reporter: in just two years? >> two years. >> reporter: australia is now in a race to save what's left of the reef. >> that's a sea turtle down there. oh, my god. >> reporter: in april, the government ple