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.

Essex University students explore marine life hands-on at the MBA

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.