Here we look at a menagrie of topics related to the biology of underwater life – from the miracles of microbes, to how parasites and symbionts evolve and work together in the Man of War. We ask questions like how do organisms fit on to the tree of life and why do they vary so much. Within each of these discussions of Marine Biology we use a spectrum of interdisciplinary perspectives to understand the evolution of global biogeochemical systems and relate them back to current environmental and social issues facing the planet and Cornwall.
This Marine Week we're celebrating the rich diversity of marine species in our waters, highlighting the weirdest and most wonderful inhabitants of our coasts so we can more deeply appreciate…
Our species has now made enough plastic to cover our entire world in a giant plastic bag - not only once - but twice. Of this truly massive mass of…
Over October our team set out to the West of the Lizard - the most southerly point of the UK - tackling the first waves of plastic flotsam and jetsam…
When going on our recovery missions we often find more than just plastic - as the waters around Cornwall have started to heat up this month we've been enjoying a…
Behaviour Change Cornwall is funding and launching a new campaign - with the backing of the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT), Seal Alliance and Looe Marine Conservation Group -…
Lets start with the virus. Viruses are often seen as the evil bad guys, trying to thwart life at every turn - their name comes from the Latin vīrus referring to poison and other noxious liquids. In reality however viruses actually do a lot for us and our world and despite being often defined as ‘disease-causing agents’ (as bacteria first were).
Basking Sharks are the second largest fish in the ocean - enormous enigmatic sharks who glide along our coastline with a great dark triangular fin jutting out above the waves. Gentle giants - over 12 metres in length - basking sharks only eat the tiniest planktonic creatures at the surface, swimming with a gaping mouth open to filter out their microscopic meals. Surprising little is known about their habits.
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A study in 2017, trying to understand why and how microplastics are getting in the marine food chain, found that when coral were offered plastic, sand and bacteria-covered plastic + sand they actually preferred the naked-plastic. They even retained the plastic for longer compared to the other food. They suspect that some types of plastic contain chemicals which stimulate the corals - which are tiny animals related to jellyfish - to feed. Or in other words, plastic is tasty for corals.
Only certain types of fish, including mackeral and tuna, have dangerous levels of mercury and only if you eat them nearly every day. Though the Atlantic Mackeral caught here in Cornwall, contain a lot less Mercury than the Spanish Mackeral eaten elsewhere and are very safe and healthy to eat.