We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 1926 – 2022. Here at the Marine Biological Association, we have been incredibly proud to have had the privilege of being recognised by our Royal Charter which received HM the Queen’s approval in 2013 and to have had the late … Read more
Rarely observed circling behaviours of endangered basking sharks have now been explained as ‘shark speed dating’ courtship displays, thanks to a new study. Marine biologists from the Marine Biological Association (MBA), the Irish Basking Shark Group and colleagues have led ground-breaking research which reveals the circles of basking sharks seen off western Ireland are engaged … Read more
The sea slug Berghia coerulescens has been recorded for the first time in the British Isles. Nick Jouault, former chair to the Marine Biology Department of the Société Jersiaise, sighted the nudibranch (confirmed by expert Bernard Picton) on 8th August 2022 near Les Écréhous reef in Jersey. Founded in 1873, the Société Jersiaise is dedicated … Read more
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
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
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
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
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
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