Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University

08/28/2026

Professor Steve Palumbi conducts research with the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) to identify heat-resilient coral.

Read more about this effort here. https://bit.ly/4xvH5km

08/12/2026

Ashley Blawas, a researcher at Hopkins Marine Station, led a study recently published in PNAS exploring just how flexible whales' heart rates can be as they expend tremendous amounts of energy during deep underwater dives.

This research sheds new light on the remarkable adaptations that allow these ocean giants to thrive in their environment, deepening our understanding of marine mammal biology and the incredible ways life has evolved beneath the waves.

When blue whales and humpbacks dive, their heart rates slow as their systems adjust to reduce oxygen consumption. But when they actively lunge, their heart rates rise to power acrobatic sprints to engulf massive volumes of prey-laden water. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/peEU50Zv3oB

08/12/2026

Bridge Builders, a Los Angeles-based community group empowering youth through mentorship and STEM experiences, recently visited the Hopkins Marine Station as part of a regional tour of marine science institutions.

Students dove into the world of marine science through hands-on, immersive experiences right on the shores of beautiful Monterey Bay. From exploring tide pools to discovering the wonders of ocean ecosystems, our young scientists got a firsthand look at what marine research is all about.

Experiences like these spark curiosity, inspire future STEM leaders, and open doors to careers students may have never imagined.

Meeting our planet's greatest challenges demands urgent, collective action, and outreach programs like this one are vital to cultivating the ocean-conscious leaders who will drive the long-term protection of our critical ecosystems.

08/12/2026

Stanford’s 2026 Big Ideas for Oceans seed grants support innovative research to protect whales, restore kelp forests, investigate seagrass disease, and strengthen coral reef resilience. Together, these projects are advancing solutions for oceans and the communities that depend on them.

Stanford University
Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions

This year’s Big Ideas for Oceans seed grants support research on dynamic marine monitoring to protect whales, investigating the causes of marine diseases, and engineering algae to enhance marine resilience.

08/04/2026

A young harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) approaches a diver near the Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey, California. Seals are known for their curious and playful demeanor, but they can also easily become stressed with unexpected human interaction. Their presence typically indicates a healthy habitat, as they consume fish that are vulnerable to pollution, in turn regulating their populations.

See more Photos of the Day: https://on.natgeo.com/Hy3kIO

06/25/2026

New Stanford University research in Senegal demonstrates how introducing native fish into rice paddies can simultaneously combat schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease affecting 220+ million people, while boosting agricultural productivity.

The approach is elegantly simple: native fish species naturally suppress disease-carrying snail populations while increasing rice yields by over 25%. Farmers gain improved soil nutrients and an additional income source from fish sales, all without feeding the fish.

"This research points to a new way of thinking about agriculture. It's about farming systems that not only grow more food, but also improve human health and support the environment," according to Prof. Giulio De Leo, based at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University.

One sustainable intervention addressing health, food security, and poverty.

New research shows how introducing native fish into rice fields may help boost crop yields while suppressing a disease affecting more than 220 million people worldwide.

06/10/2026

Despite two decades of research on eastern Pacific white sharks, we still lack answers about population trends, juvenile recruitment, and predator-prey dynamics.

Dr. Samantha Andrzejaczek from Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station will present on the Monterey Bay White Shark Project at MBARI on June 10, 2026, from 11 AM to noon Pacific Time. Click the link below for more details.

The project uses electronic tags, drones, eDNA, genome sequencing, underwater video, and AI to track more than 1,000 individual sharks and understand their relationship with pinniped prey.

They're operating coastal acoustic arrays, conducting monthly drone surveys, and deploying camera traps at seal colonies to monitor how prey availability influences shark distribution and behavior.

Details: https://www.mbari.org/event/samantha-andrzejaczek/

Samantha Andrzejaczek, PhD. Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University The white shark populations of the eastern Pacific have been studied for over two decades, yet fundamental questions regarding predator-prey dynamics, population trends, and juvenile recruitment remain unanswered. In 2023, the m...

06/10/2026

Electrical pulses can reverse aging in sea squirts and extend their lifespans.

Sea squirts might seem random, but their stem cell regeneration and immune systems share surprisingly similar biological traits with humans, which is why they're useful for aging research.

Researchers at Stanford discovered that electrical pulses can actually reverse aging in sea squirts and dramatically extend their lifespans.

As Ayelet Voskoboynik puts it: "This treatment recharges stem cells... Understanding this mechanism is the key to unlocking how we might one day slow stem cell aging and trigger rejuvenation pathways."What caught my attention: brief electrical currents actually "recharge" aging stem cells and restart rejuvenation pathways. Voskoboynik is an assistant professor of biology in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, based at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability | Hopkins Marine Station.

The findings point toward new strategies for protecting species from environmental shifts and mitigating age-related decline.

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

Brief pulses of electrical current can dramatically extend the lives of sea squirts, whose rapid stem cell regeneration and simple immune systems make them a useful analog for understanding aging in humans. The findings point toward new strategies for protecting species from environmental shifts, an...

05/13/2026

Join the last Friends of Hopkins Lecture of 2026 featuring Dr. Brooke Weigel discussing The Microscopic World of Kelp Forest Ecosystems.

Tuesday, May 19th, 2026 @ 6 PM at Hopkins Boatworks Auditorium and via Zoom.

Giant kelp can tower 100 feet tall, but half its life cycle happens at a microscopic scale on the ocean floor.

Dr. Brooke Weigel will explore the hidden microscopic world within kelp forest ecosystems. Her research at Hopkins examines microscopic kelp growth and uses genomic tools to study the diverse microbial communities living on kelp surfaces. Every square centimeter hosts 25 million bacteria—but are they friends or foes?

Join us to discover what lies beneath the waves in our local kelp forests!

Register here: https://bit.ly/4d89rJx

(Image credit: Mission Blue/Eduardo Sorensen)

04/27/2026

"It's time to recognize the life cycle of the giant bluefin occurs primarily in the North Atlantic."

Stanford University Professor Barbara Block's statement captures findings from a groundbreaking 30-year study that could reshape Atlantic bluefin tuna management.

Published in PNAS, the research reveals:

🔬 Unprecedented scale: 1,720 electronic tags deployed across five nations show Mediterranean-spawned bluefin cross the Atlantic far more than management models recognize—spending years foraging in North American waters before returning to spawn

🛡️ Hidden driver of recovery: Lower western Atlantic catch quotas created an unintended refuge that protected both populations, proving critical to the species' rebound from near-collapse

📊 Striking disparity: 72% of recent catch comes from the Mediterranean vs. only 6% from western Atlantic waters

Allowing Mediterranean juveniles extended foraging time in productive North Atlantic waters—where they face lower fishing pressure—enables them to grow larger and produce more offspring, driving population recovery.

These findings provide ICCAT with critical data to optimize sustainable harvest levels and refine quota distributions across the Atlantic.

Barbara Block is the Charles and Elizabeth Prothro Professor of Marine Sciences at Stanford, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and co-founder of the Tuna Research and Conservation Center at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability | Hopkins Marine Station. She pioneered electronic tagging technology to track the movements, physiology, and behaviors of large pelagic fish.

📄 Read the study: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2535185123

https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/tagged-tunas-reveal-keys-atlantic-bluefin-recovery

A Stanford-led effort combines bluefin tuna tag data and historical catch records to reconstruct the evolution of the fishery in the context of extensive movement and mixing.