The Great Barrier Reef – A Living Wonder Under Pressure

Talking Science · Jul 25, 2026 · 20m · transcript

Stretching more than two thousand kilometres along Australia's north-east coast, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth — so big it's visible from space, yet built by animals just millimetres across. This episode looks at how the reef was made, the mass bleaching events of recent years, and the science of trying to protect it, with a clear-eyed view of what is and isn't known.

You'll come away understanding the sheer scale of the reef, the coral-algae partnership that builds it, what recent bleaching events mean, and how scientists weigh threats against the reef's…