Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL)

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research & education in biology & ecology in Woods Hole, MA.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

We're thrilled to announce the largest private gift in our 137-year history: a $25 million unrestricted donation from MBL Whitman Scientist Mark Terasaki.

His generosity will bolster our renowned research and education programs. 🔬

Learn more: https://t.co/ZvHbfmU7ut

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and MassDEP for awarding MBL and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution nearly $500,000 to advance research on carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas flux in Massachusetts eelgrass meadows.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Your mouth is home to its own highly specialized microbial community.

New research suggests that these oral microbes may play an equally important role as the gut microbiome in maintaining health.

Read the full story here: https://t.co/81ES3vQJrJ

@ForsythResearch

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

🍦Save the date!

Join the MBL Alumni Association for an Ice Cream Social on the Quad on Thursday, June 25 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Stop by for ice cream, conversation, and a chance to connect with fellow alumni. We hope to see you there!

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

National Egg Day celebrates the humble breakfast egg. But at the Marine Biological Laboratory, we’re taking a different spin and highlighting the eggs that help scientists better understand life itself.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

This image of a PTK1 cell (a kidney epithelial cell) undergoing cell division is a microscopic snapshot of life renewing itself with remarkable precision and elegance.

Captured in the 2026 Analytical and Light Microscopy (AQLM) course by Consuelo Ibar and Ashmita Kumari.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

On #WorldReefAwarenessDay, a day to reflect on the delicate ecosystem and importance of #coralreefs, Loretta Roberson explains the mechanisms behind coral health.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

From guiding institutions through decades of change to helping shape the future of the Marine Biological Laboratory, CFO & COO Damian Desiderio shares what inspires his leadership, the importance of communication, and his vision for the years ahead.

🔗 https://t.co/G7gY3GD8HR

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Join Team MBL for the 2026 Falmouth Road Race! 🏃‍♂️🌊

Team members commit to raising a minimum of $2,000 to benefit MBL’s mission of scientific discovery and education.

Interested in running with Team MBL? Email [email protected] for more details!

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Diatom Arachnoidiscus ehrenbergii viewed through a Polychromatic Polarization Microscope (PPM).

Imaged by Michael Shribak (@mshribak), a senior scientist at the MBL’s Bell Center.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

From building homemade microscopes to working with diverse marine organisms to visiting the wildlife sanctuary of Pekinese Island, our Semester in Biological Discovery students spent the last few months immersed in hands-on biology.

Read about it here: https://t.co/X4G176I9oO

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Happy #MicroscopyMonday! This video shows moving cells called “cnidocytes” inside the tentacles of a small sea anemone. Cnidocytes are specialized stinging cells used to catch prey and defend.

Imaged by Karen Echeverri, associate scientist at the MBL’s Bell Center.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

The calendar may say spring, but summer is already in session at the Marine Biological Laboratory.

The labs are buzzing — students are heads-down at microscopes, pipettes in hand, and the season of discovery is officially underway.

Read more here: https://t.co/31e0ToycJJ

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Congratulations to 23 outstanding scientists from around the globe who will be part of the 2026 cohort of Whitman Fellows!

Read more here: https://t.co/y7t1DDtOO3

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Happy #MicroscopyMonday!

Confocal image of a Schistosoma mansoni miracidium larva with alpha-tubulin stained cilia in green and nuclei in magenta.

Imaged by Sarah Kerr and Karel Mocaer in the Nikon Imaging Center at Heidelberg University.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Congratulations to 10 MBL affiliates who were recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences!

More info here: https://t.co/T2ZwssADtn

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Join Team MBL for the 2026 Falmouth Road Race! 🏃‍♂️🌊

Team members commit to raising a minimum of $2,000 to benefit MBL’s mission of scientific discovery and education.

Interested in running with Team MBL? Email [email protected] for more details!

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Happy #TeacherAppreciationDay to our amazing faculty and course directors! Your commitment to helping shape the next generation of scientists makes a lasting impact every single day. We’re grateful for all that you do.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Happy #MicroscopyMonday!

Peering into the rain of microscopic sinking particles on their journey into the deep ocean.

Imaged by JC Weber and the OFP.

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Every month, research from MBL scientists and affiliates is published in academic journals across the globe. In March 2026, 7 new studies were published.

View them here: https://t.co/Er7kHVDHuT

[Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) @MBLScience]

Just in time for warmer weather in Woods Hole, our first two cohorts of ARTC students have arrived to campus this week. Joining the FIR cohort, who arrived earlier this week, our AQLM students are starting to roll in.

Welcome to the MBL!