The MBA at the Royal Society

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

Mount Batten Bioblitz – The Results Are In

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

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