The expansion of no-fishing zones across the Great Barrier Reef has allowed fish numbers to rebound in some places to levels not seen since European arrival in Australia, a long-term study of the ecosystem has shown.

Millions of years ago, one area of reefs managed to survive a major coral extinction. The Coral Triangle in the Western Pacific is still the most biodiverse region in the world. And that is why leading marine scientists are deploying the latest in 3D mapping technology to uncover the secrets of what allowed the coral in this unique area to survive.

Photo credit: Ethan Daniels, via Shutterstock. We know there's a profusion of plastic in the ocean; floating at the surface, accumulating on the seafloor, making its way into the bellies of organisms and even becoming incorporated into rocks.

Barack Obama will use his presidential powers on Thursday to create the world's largest marine reserve in the Pacific, banning fishing and other commercial activities across vast swaths of pristine sea populated by whales, dolphins and sea turtles and dotted with coral atolls.

An ancient virus has "come back to life" after lying dormant for at least 30,000 years, scientists say. It was found frozen in a deep layer of the Siberian permafrost, but after it thawed it became infectious once again.