Long presumed dead, a thriving coral reef is discovered in West Africa

A coral reef off the coast of Benin, West Africa, first documented in a 1960s fishing survey but long presumed dead, has been rediscovered as a thriving ecosystem. Scientists had lost track of the reef's location and assumed it had perished amid global coral decline, but a recent expedition found it teeming with at least eight coral types and eight fish species. The discovery, led by Beninese researcher Gérard Zinzindohoué, was inspired by a hope that some ecosystems can resist time and degradation.