Global warming is slowly but surely killing off coral reefs en masse. From the Great Barrier Reef to the Philippines’ Tubbataha Reef, nothing seems to be safe from the rapidly water temperatures that plague our planet.

Warmer water leads to coral bleaching, a grim phenomenon which causes coral to turn white lose the symbiotic algae contained within its tissues. Without this algae, coral is vulnerable to storm damage, disease, and essentially unable to contribute to the aquatic ecosystem at large. This is particularly worrisome, because without reefs, countless islands and tidal forces would be subject to powerful tidal forces.

While a few species of coral have adapted over time to gradual temperature increases, climate change has expedited the process past all natural limits. However, new research from the University of Texas indicates that there might still be hope. A new study published in PLOS Genetics found that human intervention could save coral populations threatened by acute ocean warming , at least for another century or so.

The researchers used genetic rescue — that is, the spread of genes from an adapted species to an endangered species — in an attempt to force certain at-risk populations to rapidly develop a form of temperature tolerance. And though the idea itself wasn’t exactly new, its efficacy had never been confirmed in a live population before their study.

What they found was surprisingly hopeful: Human-assisted genetic rescue was able to successfully lower extinction rates in at-risk populations, which could have huge implications for reef management as temperatures continue to rise.