The future of our oceans is a question of increasing urgency. Marine biologist Karen Wiltshire from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany studies the effects of climate change on the world's oceans.

This year scientists have been focusing more attention on the world's oceans and seas. Karen Wiltshire is a marine researcher at the Alfred Wegener Institute. For years she’s been observing the effects of climate change on the world's oceans.

Wiltshire is the director of POGO, an association of the world's leading oceanic research institutes. The group has been urging the UN and G7 nations to take action. Tomorrow Today reporter Mabel Gundlach spoke with the researcher to learn more about whether and how our seas can be saved.

The Mergui Archipelago had been closed to foreigners since the 1960s. Now, scientists are exploring the marine environment there. They've found that over the last few years, a lot of damage has been done.

The Mergui Archipelago had been closed to foreigners for nearly 50 years. Now, scientists are exploring the marine environment there. They've found that over the last few years, a lot of damage has been done.

Dynamite fishing has destroyed a number of coral reefs. Fish stocks have fallen by 90 percent in some areas. But some parts of the sea around the archipelago have remained remarkably intact. The scientists hope to protect those areas, and restore parts of the marine environment that have been damaged.

French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier developed so-called "enzyme scissors" for altering DNA quickly, simply and precisely. The discovery has signaled the start of a new era in genetic engineering.

Together with an American colleague, French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier has developed a kind of "enzyme scissors" for altering DNA easily, quickly and precisely. The discovery heralded in a new era in biology.

CRISPR-Cas9, as the method is known, could be instrumental in curing genetic diseases. In the past two years alone, Charpentier has received several major scientific awards. Is she a contender for this year's Nobel Prize? Tomorrow Today met up with Charpentier, who's now a director at Berlin's Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology.

Two black holes merged in a massive explosion -- and scientists have detected the gravitational waves generated by this cosmic event. Now, researchers are using this technology to explore the darkest secrets of the universe.

Sylt is Germany's biggest North Sea island. For now at least. At the end of 2015 a storm flood wiped out a large section of beach and flattened meter-high dunes. There are now fears that the entire southern tip of the island could disappear.

We meet coastal researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute who see the island as an open-air lab for modern coastal protection. The challenges are growing worldwide because of climate change. What can science do to better protect coastal regions? Existing approaches are proving problematic. Concrete and steel are of limited value in landscapes formed by sea and sand.

Congested roads are frustrating for drivers. Software developer Christoph Brüggemann and his company have come up with a system that suggests different alternate routes for every driver.

To discover what ingredients go into making a hit, musicologist Volkmar Kramarz examined seven years' worth of chart-topping pop songs.