News and Events

Recent News and Stories

Bodega Marine Lab banner showing six smiling fellows in a coastal photo collage

Announcing the UC Davis Bilinski Fellows at Bodega Marine Laboratory for 2026-27

by Jessica Lee
July 13, 2026

People and Programs

Bilinski fellowships are awarded to outstanding doctoral students whose selected projects, based at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, exhibit innovation, collaboration, and are a key component of the student’s final dissertation.

Blue glacier front with snow-capped peaks reflected in calm icy seawater

Melting Icebergs Can Weaken a Massive, Far-Off Ocean Current System

by Greg Watry
July 13, 2026

Research and Impacts

Melting and breaking icebergs in the far-off, northeastern region of the Pacific Ocean can weaken a massive current system in the Atlantic Ocean, according to a University of California, Davis study published in Nature Communications.

Hands holding tangled green aquatic plants in shallow muddy water

What Makes Seagrass Survive? Look to the Microbes

by Douglas Fox
May 07, 2026

Research and Impacts

On her first day of graduate school, Karolina Zabinski rose at 4:00am. She spent the day on the muddy shores of Tomales Bay, collecting eelgrass for a survey of aquatic plant diseases. These ribbon-like seagrasses are common along the California coast and form knee-high meadows that undulate in the water.

Group of people at Cape of Good Hope sign on rocky coast, some with arms raised

A Global Effort to Decode the Ocean’s Most Productive “Hotspots”

by Jessica Lee
May 05, 2026

Research and Impacts

While they cover less than 1% of the ocean’s surface, the world’s four major upwelling zones are biological powerhouses. Located along the coasts of California, Chile, Portugal, and South Africa, these Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (EBUS) drive cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface, supporting massive populations of fish, birds, and mammals.

Two yellow-brown butterflyfish with dark stripes swimming above a coral reef.

Fish Evolution Accelerated After Adapting to Eat off Hard Surfaces

by Liana Wait
April 28, 2026

Research and Impacts

Why are there so many species of coral reef fish? According to a new study, it’s because about 50 million years ago, some fish figured out how to bite food from hard surfaces.

Scuba diver using a quadrat to survey coral reef in clear blue water

Stop-and-Go Science: Researchers Pivot to Try to Salvage Important Work

by Kat Kerlin
April 27, 2026

Research and Impacts

Conducting environmental science in a time of rapid climate change can be like a game of Whac-a-Mole. Just as you get close, the focus moves, burns, melts or disappears.