A new study indicates that major components of the animal nervous system are found in marine algae and play important roles in cellular communication. Multicellular organisms have developed many mechanisms to allow communication between individual cells. In animals, the amino acid glutamate acts as a neurotransmitter, allowing the transfer of information between neurons in the … Read more
A new economic analysis has shown that sequencing the DNA of all complex life in the UK and Ireland could deliver up to almost £3 billion in benefits to the economy over the next 30 years, with wide‑ranging impacts across agriculture, conservation, and research and innovation.
The Marine Biological Association (MBA) is delighted to welcome Dr Amy Courtney as our new Anne Warner Research Fellow, strengthening the MBA’s internationally recognised programme of discovery science and its long tradition of using marine life to unlock fundamental biological insights. Amy is an evolutionary neuroscientist whose work explores one of biology’s most fascinating questions: … Read more
Our oceans contain a vast community of calcifying algae, known as coccolithophores, that play a critical role in the global carbon cycle through their ability to produce calcium carbonate in huge quantities. Coccolithophores are particularly abundant in the Southern Ocean, an area known as the Great Calcite Belt, but we know little about these communities due to their remote location.
Scientists at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the University of Exeter have uncovered a key mechanism that helps diatoms – the microscopic algae that underpin marine food webs – survive when one of life’s essential nutrients runs low.
The Marine Biological Association (MBA) proudly marks its 142nd birthday, celebrating more than a century of world‑leading marine research, pioneering discoveries, and a growing international community dedicated to understanding and protecting our ocean.
The Marine Biological Association (MBA) recently hosted a collaborative Scallop Potting Workshop, bringing together fishermen, regulators, researchers, industry representatives, businesses, and environmental NGOs for a full day of focused discussion on the future of this promising low‑impact fishery.
The Marine Biological Association (MBA) recently welcomed a group of students from the University of Essex to Plymouth for a day of immersive fieldwork, lab exploration, and rocky shore discovery in an experience that they variously described as “inspiring”, “eye‑opening”, and “transformative” for their ambitions to pursue a career in marine science.
A new marine licence has been approved for an innovative project aiming to revive British kelp beds. This is the first time the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have granted a marine licence for kelp restoration activities in the UK. Kelp forests are vital to marine ecosystems providing habitat, food, and breeding grounds for marine species, … Read more
From the left: Dr Mathilde Lindhart (University of Plymouth), Professor Willie Wilson (MBA) and Dan Jones (PML) Marine life, climate change, and ocean health took centre stage at this year’s Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM26). Held in Glasgow from 22–27 February, the conference brought together thousands of researchers to share new insights and breakthroughs in understanding … Read more
The Marine Biological Association
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The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom is a registered charity in England and Wales (1155893), and is a company limited by Royal Charter (RC000865). The Marine Biological Association conducts, promotes and supports scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea.