From the historical harbours and stunning coastlines of Scotland; to the dramatic cliffs and coves of Cornwall, researchers have traversed the length and breadth of the UK to collect DNA from marine life. Their goal is clear – to provide the tools for better understanding marine species around the UK and Ireland and create a … Read more
Mariko is an undergraduate marine biology student at the University of Plymouth and is passionate about anything to do with the ocean and marine life. Mariko, who completed a seven-month placement at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) as an Ecology Assistant in the Research Aquarium shares her experiences working in this unique research environment. What … Read more
An ambitious project to sequence the genomes of all eukaryotic species found in Britain and Ireland has passed a major milestone. Over 1,000 genomes have now been produced as part of the Darwin Tree of Life project – a collaboration between ten leading research organisations and funded by Wellcome. The Darwin Tree of Life project … Read more
The Darwin Tree of Life team at the Marine Biological Association have had the genome note for the turban top shell, Gibbula magus, published in conjunction with the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
During the first of the summer heatwaves, a group from DASSH and the MBA’s Darwin Tree of Life team headed to Lundy Marine Festival. Hannah and Summer, of DASSH, were on Lundy island as part of the Marine Bioblitz that took place in July. During the Bioblitz, 74 species were observed as part of the … Read more
Written by Kes Scott-Somme The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition is arguably the biggest interactive science event in the UK. Open for free to the public, it lets cutting edge science projects communicate directly with interested individuals. MBA staff Joanna Harley, Patrick Adkins and Kes Scott-Somme went along to represent the project they work on; … Read more
Written by Joanna Harley On a sunny day in June, 37 naturalists and 27 school students joined forces with the Darwin Tree of Life Project (DToL) for the Marine Biological Association’s annual Bioblitz at Mount Batten Bay. The Bioblitz ran simultaneously between Mount Batten Bay, Plymouth and Little Sparta, Scotland, and the day was spent … Read more
A landmark project to sequence the genomes of all 70,000 species of eukaryotic organisms in Britain and Ireland will be on show this summer at one of the largest free science festivals in the UK. The Darwin Tree of Life project, a collaboration between eight leading research organisations and funded by Wellcome, is a collaboration between experts … Read more
Those of us working on the Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project based at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) are on a mission to collect and identify all Eukaryote species in the ocean surrounding Britain and Ireland. Some of these are notoriously tricky to identify, so we often work with experts who know a lot about … Read more
Charles Darwin was born on 12 February 1809; which would make Saturday 12 February, 2022 his 213th Birthday! However the scientific journey he started is still just in its early days. In 1837 Darwin first sketched his theories of how life might evolve along the branches of an imaginary tree, which he referred to as the … Read more
The Marine Biological Association
The Laboratory,
Citadel Hill Plymouth,
Devon
PL1 2PB, UK
The Marine Biological Association conducts, promotes and supports scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea. We're working with our ever-growing membership to provide a clear and independent voice on behalf of the marine biological community