MBA to play key role in project to improve protection for sharks in English waters

The Marine Biological Association (MBA) is playing a critical role in a major new conservation project that will help to improve understanding and protection of some of England’s most iconic shark species. Led by the University of Exeter and supported through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme, the three-year project, From data to action: comprehensive assessment … Read more

MBA team launches whale shark tagging mission in Mexico

The MBA’s Sims Group team of researchers have travelled to La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico for a whale shark tagging expedition. The aim of the ERC-funded research expedition to the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the Gulf of California (GoC) is to attach custom-made oxygen, temperature, deep-depth, and body movement-sensing tags to adult female … Read more

Marine Biological Association welcomes Professor Thomas Miller as a Fellow of the MBA

We are proud to welcome Professor Thomas James Miller PhD as a Fellow of the Marine Biological Association (FMBA).

Ocean Wonders in Yarn: MBA staff and students turn Plymouth post box into call to engage with the ocean

An ordinary post box on Plymouth Hoe has been transformed into an eye-catching celebration of marine life, thanks to a team of creative staff and students from the Marine Biological Association, who have handcrafted an intricately beautiful knitted and crocheted topper inspired by the sea.

Research in algae provides insight into the origins of the animal nervous system

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

Exploring coccolithophore communities in the Southern Indian Ocean

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.

New study reveals how tiny marine algae survive phosphorus starvation

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.

MBA celebrates 142 years of marine discovery

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.

Shaping the future of sustainable scallop potting

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.