Last week, MBARI researchers participated in the GeoHab 2026 conference, an annual meeting of scientists, students, resource managers, and other stakeholders working at the intersection of marine habitat mapping, benthic ecosystems, and seafloor ecology.

A new collaboration with Bio Bureau Biotecnologia, TideWise, and Equinor is leveraging MBARI’s innovative eDNA-sampling technologies to monitor marine biodiversity around Brazil’s offshore oil fields.

MBARI Postdoctoral Fellow Olívia Soares Pereira has been named a National Geographic Explorer. Recognizing exceptional individuals in their fields, Explorers receive funding and support from the National Geographic Society to illuminate and protect our world through their work in science, exploration, education, and storytelling.

The 2026 Peter Benchley Ocean Awards recognized Julie Packard—chair of MBARI's Board of Directors and executive director of MBARI's education and conservation partner, the Monterey Bay Aquarium—with the Ocean Hero award, honoring her contributions to ocean science and conservation.

In a new study in Nature Communications, researchers from MBARI, the University of Montana, and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa share how autonomous robots equipped with advanced genetic sampling instruments have enabled scientists to understand how microbial activity responds to changing conditions in remote areas of the ocean.

Jon Erickson, a mechanical engineer at MBARI for nearly 30 years before retiring last fall, passed away on March 13 at the age of 78. Erickson’s expertise in marine engineering was critical to the success of several MBARI projects, from autonomous robots to tethered moorings.