Marine Biological Laboratory

08/27/2026

🌊🔬 Every year, about 1,500 scientists and students from around the world join the MBL community in Woods Hole.

But what draws them here?

We stepped out into the MBL community to ask: Why the MBL?

08/26/2026

Many students come to the Marine Biological Laboratory for a course, and often, they find their way back.

That was the case for John Spear, who took the Microbial Diversity course in 1998 and now returns as a course director.

Read more about his journey, how the course has evolved over the decades, and why he thinks MBL has a way of turning alumni into faculty.

🔗 go.mbl.edu/take5-spear

08/24/2026

Happy !

This microscopy image showcases a transgenic zebrafish's immune response to an infection with the fungi Candida albicans.

Immune cells are expressing green fluorescent protein (macrophages) or red fluorescent protein (neutrophils).

Imaged by Robert Wheeler from the 2026 Molecular Mycology (MOMY) course, using a Nikon CSU-W1 spinning disk confocal with SoRa. Specimen provided by Troy McInerney from MBL Zebrafish Facility and N'namdi Baker from MOMY course.

08/23/2026

⏰ DEADLINE APPROACHING!

Early admissions deadline round 1 is Sept. 15 for the MBL’s Semester in Biological Discovery, a spring semester or quarter program for undergraduates that provides an immersive research experience in discovery-driven biological sciences modeled on the MBL’s world-renowned Advanced Research Training Courses.

🔗 More info here: go.mbl.edu/SBD

08/22/2026

For nearly 140 years, the Marine Biological Laboratory has advanced discovery through a unique culture of scientific collaboration, education, and innovation.

The 1888 Society recognizes individuals who have chosen to support MBL's future through planned gifts, including bequests, charitable trusts, life income gifts, and gifts of real estate.

These commitments help ensure that MBL remains a place where future generations of scientists can ask bold questions and pursue transformative discoveries.

If you have already included MBL in your plans, we would be honored to hear from you.

Contact Eric Speer at [email protected] to learn more.

🔗

Ways to Leave a Legacy:

08/21/2026

Ever wonder how butterflies use their beauty to fool predators?

Join Dr. Nipam H. Patel, Director of the Marine Biological Laboratory, for a special talk kicking off the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History's Migration Season.

08/20/2026

What makes the MBL Embryology course such a transformative experience?

For Emily Setton, it was the chance to work with embryos from classic model systems, learn new approaches to developmental biology, and connect with scientists from across the field.

🎥 Go behind the scenes of her six weeks at the Embryology course.

08/19/2026

In humans and many other animals, a mother’s age can affect the physical and behavioral characteristics of the next generation. Scientists call these changes maternal age effects, and while they are widespread across the animal kingdom, researchers still don't fully understand how or why they occur.

Kristin Gribble's lab at the MBL is using rotifers — tiny aquatic animals that reproduce quickly and are easy to study — to uncover the biological mechanism that transmits information about a mother's age to her offspring.

🔗 Read the full story here: go.mbl.edu/mole-mem

08/17/2026

We’re proud to be a advancing science and education for more than 140 years. And it’s all made possible through the generous support of unrestricted funding.

This , support MBL’s mission with a gift.

Every donation makes a difference: mbl.edu/give

08/17/2026

Happy !

This time lapse shows a sea star embryo (Patiria miniata) undergoing early cell divisions. The green label is a cell membrane localized Green Fluorescence Protein, and the red is a fluorescent protein that labels the mitotic spindles.

As the embryo develops, a single cell divides again and again to build the many cells that will eventually form a complete sea star. Watching these early stages helps scientists understand the fundamental processes of cell division and embryonic development.

Imaged by Dr. Yash Rana, a student in the 2026 Embryology course, on a Nikon Yokogawa Spinning Disc Scanning Confocal Microscope that was loaned to the course by the company.