Taking the plunge with a fresh new look

For almost 140 years, The Marine Biological Association (MBA) has been the voice of marine biology. Now we can reveal our new branding and website, which demonstrates our continued passion for the understanding of the ocean and life that resides there. This bold new look has been created to reflect the integrity of our research, … Read more

Darwin Tree of Life project at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

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

Leading UK marine scientists welcome the move towards a global plastics pact ahead of major UN meeting

Plastic pollution is universally accepted as having dire effects on the world’s marine life and ecosystems, in addition to presenting risks to human health including through the leaching of chemical additives and consumption of microplastics contained in seafood. Yet while there are a number of international, national and localised commitments, policies and initiatives designed to … Read more

Women in STEM: My journey as a marine biologist

This week as many celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’ve put the spotlight on one of our female scientists. Kesella Scott-Somme, Research Assistant on the Darwin Tree of Life project team at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) talks about her experience as a women in marine biology and how inclusivity is key in … Read more

Hopeful future for endangered whales thanks to funding boost

An important marine monitoring programme will help piece together vital information on a number of critically endangered marine species, including the North Atlantic right whale. North Atlantic right whales are some of the most endangered whales in the world. Credit: NOAA Fisheries Thanks to new funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US),  the Woods Hole Oceanographic … Read more

Marine biologists part of global effort to map genomes of life on earth

Without action to curb climate change and protect the health of global ecosystems, Earth is forecast to lose 50 per cent of its biodiversity by the end of this century. Researchers from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) are collecting marine species in a UK-wide initiative to sequence the genomes (genetic information) of thousands of native species. This … Read more

Identifying environmental niche shifts is key for forecasting future species distributions

Marine Biological Association (MBA) Research Fellow Dr Nova Mieszkowska and PhD student Katherine Park from the Mieszkowska Group have published a paper in Diversity and Distributions on rapid niche shifts which act as drivers for the spread of non-indigenous species.  Non-indigenous species (NIS) are one of the biggest threats to global biodiversity. Identifying environmental niche shifts is key for forecasting future species … Read more