The Marine Biological Association
@thembauk.bsky.social
3.3K followers 1.1K following 230 posts
A leading UK marine biology research institute, promoting scientific excellence and representing the marine biology community since 1884. 🐚 https://www.mba.ac.uk/ 🔗 linktr.ee/MarineBiologicalAssociation
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thembauk.bsky.social
The Peter Baker Investigatorship at the Marine Biological Association

8 weeks at the MBA, to be completed in 2026
£5,000 for research expenses, travel, and subsistence
Deadline, 12:00 midday, Monday 15 October 2025

📨 For more information and to apply, visit: mymba.mba.ac.uk/member-homep...
thembauk.bsky.social
Her story celebrates women in marine science and the fight to protect our blue planet — all from a small, storm-tossed island in the Irish Sea.

If you care about the ocean’s future, this one’s a tide worth catching. 🌊✨

📘 Spring Tides by Fiona Gell
🔹 Reviewed by Matthew Bunce FMBA

#MarineScience
thembauk.bsky.social
Marine biologist Fiona Gell weaves science, history, and memoir into something magical: from Viking legends and pirate coves to 4,000-year-old maerl beds, horse mussel reefs, and seagrass meadows that capture carbon.
thembauk.bsky.social
Book spotlight - SPRING TIDES by Fiona Gell

Book Spotlight: Spring Tides by Fiona Gell

A lyrical dive into the Isle of Man’s marine life — and what it teaches us about ocean conservation, policy, and the human heart.
Reposted by The Marine Biological Association
supersequin.bsky.social
Fascinating walk along Penarth seashore on the lowest tide of the year. Amongst the usual beadlet anemones I found an unusual #seaanemone and would appreciate help with #identification. Could this be a red speckled anemone? @sewbrec.org.uk @thembauk.bsky.social #rockpooling #sealife
thembauk.bsky.social
In 2025, an explosion of common octopus appeared across the southwest coast of England

Dr. Keith Hiscock, MBA, explains what led to this “octopus bloom”, how it connects to long-term changes in our seas, and what it could mean for the future of UK marine life.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR2l...
Southwest Octopus Bloom: Behind the Surge with Keith Hiscock, MBE
YouTube video by The Marine Biological Association
www.youtube.com
Reposted by The Marine Biological Association
sussexkelp.bsky.social
🌏 Why was the #KelpSummit2025 so important?

Hear from some of our key speakers: Cat Wilding @thembauk.bsky.social, Erin Lawes (Environment Agency), @rodneyforster.bsky.social, @grockesibl.bsky.social & @pippajmoore.bsky.social
To view more from the Summit, visit the link in our bio.
Reposted by The Marine Biological Association
marclim-uk.bsky.social
Curious about the genome of the beautiful little Onchidella celtica? Now available to read @thembauk.bsky.social wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-...
thembauk.bsky.social


Ellen brings passion and curiosity to everything she does, from troubleshooting experiments to mentoring fellow lab members.

The talk final takes place on 7 October 2025 during the Microbiology Society Executive Committee meeting – we can’t wait to cheer her on!
thembauk.bsky.social
Meet Our Early Career Microbiologist of the Year Talk Finalist: Dr Ellen Harrison 🌟

We’re thrilled to share that Dr Ellen Harrison, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Marine Biological Association has been named a finalist for her talk on the influence of nutrient co-limitation on diatom P-sensing🧬✨
thembauk.bsky.social
Did someone say it's take an octopus to work day?

Brilliant photos from @akwildlifefalmouth showing the extent of the octopus surge in the southwest. This Risso's dolphin seemed to be having fun 🐙
thembauk.bsky.social
These gentle giants can be over 10 metres long, yet glide just beneath the surface — making for breathtaking encounters (and challenging fieldwork!).

Each successful tag provided months of movement data, revealing where whale sharks travel, how deep they dive, and what threats they face.
thembauk.bsky.social
Fieldwork Friday 🦈

For the Global Shark Movement Project, scientists from the Marine Biological Association and partners spent long days at sea attaching satellite tags to whale sharks.
Reposted by The Marine Biological Association
dassh-at-the-mba.bsky.social
📈 🌊 New marine data published!!🌊 📈
Discover our latest published datasets with 5 new datasets from the 2025 Environment Agency data for the UK marine strategy's Article 8 biodiversity assessment,
accessible through the MEDIN portal now! 🌍https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php 🔍 #MarineData
Reposted by The Marine Biological Association
marclim-uk.bsky.social
Sabellaria alveolata at both Crackington Haven & Hartland Quay MarClim sites. Always a joy to see this Priority Habitat @thembauk.bsky.social
thembauk.bsky.social
🎥 Next week we’ll be sharing a video with Dr Keith Hiscock, MBE, who will explore the history, rise and fall of octopus populations in the Channel.

Surges like this aren’t unprecedented – similar peaks were recorded in both 1900 and 1950.
thembauk.bsky.social
“Eating Anything in Their Path” – that’s how The New York Times recently described the surge of octopus sightings in the English Channel.

But how significant is this so-called octopus bloom? What’s fact, what’s myth – and what does it really mean for our seas?
thembauk.bsky.social
Take a look back at our newsroom and socials for inspiration from the stories we’ve shared, we've explored a lot in the past year, from microscopic plankton to magnificent megafauna.

The winning design will feature on our special seasonal card.

Deadline: 31st October 2025
thembauk.bsky.social
Calling all ocean-inspired artists! - We’re launching our festive Ocean Art Card Competition.

We’re inviting you to dive into the wonders of our science – celebrating ocean biology, the hidden marine microbiome, and the beauty of coastal ecology.

Enter here - www.mba.ac.uk/art-competit...
thembauk.bsky.social
Must reads for Future Marine Biologists…

Spring Tides — Fiona Gell
Into the Great Wide Ocean — Sönke Johnsen
How Life Works — Philip Ball

The Marine Biologist includes book reviews and recommendation's — one of the many benefits of joining - www.mba.ac.uk/our-membersh...
thembauk.bsky.social
The star of the show this #MicroscopyMonday is Noctiluca scintillans — a giant among plankton! At up to 2 mm across, visible to the naked eye.

Around UK and European coasts, it sometimes forms blooms that appear pinkish-red or orange, creating the phenomenon known as “red tides.”
thembauk.bsky.social
💬 “I came away with a deeper understanding of vertebrate vision, invaluable skills, and inspiring new connections. I’m already seeing the impact on my research - and I’m so grateful to the MBA for supporting me at this transitional stage.”
Student Bursary Application
Apply for one of our student bursaries
mymba.mba.ac.uk
thembauk.bsky.social
Just starting her PhD this autumn, Anna took full advantage of the opportunity - gaining hands-on experience with calcium imaging in octopus 🐙, bobtail squid behavioural experiments 🦑, frog retina imaging 🐸, and zebrafish vision studies 🐟.
Student Bursary Application
Apply for one of our student bursaries
mymba.mba.ac.uk
thembauk.bsky.social
Student Bursary in Action 🌊

This August, Anna Jansson attended the Visual Neuroscience Advanced Research Training Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, supported by the MBA Student Bursary.

@annaneuro.bsky.social