An international team of scientists has taken a major step toward understanding one of Earth’s most important yet underexplored groups of organisms: diatoms. Scientists from the Marine Biological Association (MBA), including Senior Research Fellows Dr Katherine Helliwell and Dr Glen Wheeler, as well as researchers Yousef Touhami and Dr Trupti Gaikwad have joined more than … Read more
MBA Fellow and lifelong MBA Member John Spencer representing Barnardos at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party The Marine Biological Association (MBA) is saddened to learn of the passing of MBA Fellow and long-standing Member John Spencer, LRIC, BSc, PGCE, AMIQA, Mem. MBA, PP2, PHF, whose distinguished career in marine and environmental science spanned more than … Read more
Daniel Hampton, a Marine Biology Masters graduate from the University of Southampton, was awarded the MBA Student Travel Bursary earlier this year to travel to Sri Lanka for the Sharks International 2026 conference. Held once every four years, the conference hosted by Blue Resources Trust brought together around 800 attendees from more than 80 countries … Read more
Remarkable images of a Risso’s dolphin appearing to be ‘ridden’ by an octopus providing striking evidence of how an ongoing bloom in octopus numbers may be affecting marine wildlife in the sea off the Devon and Cornwall coast.
A brightly coloured sea slug spotted by a local citizen scientist and diver off Lundy has sparked interest from marine experts. In a potentially significant development, the discovery has attracted the attention of a leading nudibranch specialist who suspects the striking creature may represent a species never before recorded by science. The tiny but striking … Read more
Scientists have uncovered new evidence that climate change is driving toxin-producing harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Pacific Arctic, raising concerns for marine wildlife, fisheries and the coastal communities that depend on the region’s resources. The Marine Biological Association (MBA) led research focuses on the Pacific Arctic region, which is warming faster than almost any … Read more
Marine scientists warn that continued warming of UK waters is likely to cause major changes to plankton, the tiny drifting plants and animals that form the foundation of marine food webs and feed the fish that end up on our plates.
Families, local residents, and wildlife enthusiasts are invited to join a fun-filled 24 hours of coastal exploration, wildlife discovery and hands-on activities at The Rock Pool Project’s Community BioBlitz Festival in Cornwall on 29-30 August.
Women in Ocean Science University Ambassadors Katie Thiessen and Georgia Dixon recently visited staff at the National Marine Biological Library (NMBL) to explore the Marine Biological Association’s archive and discuss collaborative opportunities for celebrating local women in marine science.
Researchers from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the University of Exeter’s Living Systems Institute (LSI) recently attended an interdisciplinary workshop focused on the cell and environmental biology of marine microbes and plankton. The event brought together academics working across a diverse range of disciplines, including marine microbiology, biophysics, structural biology, cell biology and ecology. … Read more
The Marine Biological Association
The Laboratory,
Citadel Hill Plymouth,
Devon
PL1 2PB, UK
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.