🪸 That's a wrap, ICRS 2026! An inspiring week of sharing research, discovering exciting coral reef science, and meeting colleagues from around the world. Talks, posters, great conversations, and plenty of new ideas to take back into the field. Thanks, Auckland and thanks, ICRS. Until next time! 🌊

🪸 We’re heading to #ICRS2026 in Auckland! 🇳🇿 🎤 Talks: Davide Seveso (21 Jul), Federica Siena (21 Jul), Enrico Montalbetti (23 Jul) 🪧 Posters: Jacopo Gobbato & Lorenzo Massimo Toniolo (@lmtoniolo.bsky.social) (20 Jul), Simone Montano (22 Jul) Come say hello if you’re there too! 🫱🏼‍🫲🏾

🪸 New paper! 🪸 Why do some corals handle heat better than others? Using metabolomics, we found that two closely related coral species exposed to the same heat stress adopted completely different metabolic strategies highlighting metabolic plasticity. www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

🌏 Mangroves in the Maldives are small, fragmented, and critically endangered — yet still largely overlooked. 📊 The work provides the first habitat-specific framework for mangrove restoration in the archipelago. 🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Great to host the University of Exeter again at MaRHE Center in the Maldives! 🌊 Students joined us on Magoodhoo Island for a hands-on workshop in tropical marine ecology — learning coral reef sampling & monitoring directly in the field 🐠🪸 See you again soon!

⭐️📄 New study on crown-of-thorns outbreaks (𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪) in the Gulf of Oman Combining ecology + genetics, it shows how a single species drove a severe outbreak and how targeted removal can quickly reduce impacts on corals 🪸 🔗 dx.doi.org/10.1007/s412... #MarineScience #CoralReefs #Acanthaster

🪱📄 New paper out! First comprehensive checklist of marine flatworms in the Maldives: 39 species across 9 families — and still much to discover. A key baseline for future taxonomy & conservation 🌊 🔗 dx.doi.org/10.1007/s412... #MarineScience #Biodiversity #Flatworms

Join the Sharks of the Maldives Workshop (3–10 Oct 2026 🇲🇻) — a hands-on scientific diving experience on shark research & monitoring. Fieldwork, BRUVS, drones & data analysis with marine scientists 🌊 ⏳ Apply by 26 June 🔗 en.unimib.it/news/worksho... #Sharks #MarineScience #Maldives #Workshop

Mild stress comes from direct particle contact. Stronger effects — tissue swelling, polyp retraction, bleaching — come from leachates of weathered plastics. 🌊🪸 Realistic exposure scenarios are key to understanding microplastic risks for reefs. 📄 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🌊🪸 Congrats to Enrico Montalbetti on receiving a JMSE Travel Grant to attend ICRS 2026 in Auckland 🇳🇿! The grant supports research on coral metabolic responses to thermal stress — contributing to global discussions on reef resilience in a changing climate.

🌊 Applications open for MTMT 2026! Hands-on workshop on coral reef mapping & monitoring 🪸 From UAVs to underwater photogrammetry, GIS & fieldwork at MaRHE Center (Maldives). 📍 Magoodhoo | 📅 25 Apr–3 May 2026 🔗 www.mtmt.cloud/wp-content/u...

🔥🌊 New research | 2026 Wildfire ash doesn’t stop at the coast. We show that ash entering seawater induces oxidative stress, early bleaching signals, and photoacclimation responses in 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘢, a key Mediterranean coral. Wildfires are an emerging marine stressor 🌍🪸 doi.org/10.1016/j.ma...

⚽🪸 Another great session of Playing with Corals wrapped up! Together with Inter Campus & the UEFA Foundation, we’re blending football and coral education to empower young ocean stewards in the Maldives ✨ Thanks to all partners and the Maldivian Ministry of Sport for the continued support 💙

🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Meet our Maldivian Scholarship awardee, Hadin Musad from MUI at Six Senses Laamu! He joined our CBASS Workshop to train in coral heat-tolerance testing and is now applying these skills in Laamu Atoll to support reef resilience 🌡🪸 Proud to collaborate with MUI 🌿 #CBASS #coralresearch #marhecenter

Just wrapped up the 2nd edition of the CBASS workshop in the Maldives! 🌍 A full week of hands-on work assessing coral thermotolerance amid climate change. 🌡🪸 Huge thanks to @reefgenomics.bsky.social our MaRHE team and all participants. More updates soon — see you in the next edition! 💙

November is Coral Bleaching Awareness Month. 🌊🔥 Our PhD student @lmtoniolo.bsky.social shares what the 2024 bleaching event teaches us about reef fragility and resilience. By understanding how corals respond to heat, we learn how to protect them. 💙 📸 Ocean Agency

MaRHE Center researchers joined the 2nd CRIMAC International School – SymbioMar 🪸 in Amendolara, Italy. An inspiring event on marine symbiosis — from taxonomy to biotechnology. Thanks to @calabria.marine_centre_crimac for hosting! 🌊 #MarineScience #Symbiosis

🌊 Aperte le iscrizioni al Workshop di Ecologia Marina Tropicale, dal 2 al 10 febbraio 2026 Lezioni e attività in mare per scoprire la biologia ed ecologia delle scogliere coralline, con snorkelling e un progetto scientifico finale 🪸 📅 Iscrizioni entro 30/11/2025 🔗 www.canva.com/design/DAG3Q...

🌍 Aperte le iscrizioni al Workshop “Turismo e Comunità Locale in Ambienti Fragili”, dal 7 al 15 gennaio 2026. Lezioni, attività sul campo e incontri con realtà locali per esplorare il turismo sostenibile negli ecosistemi corallini. 🪸 📅 Iscrizioni entro 20/11/2025 🔗 www.canva.com/design/DAG3f...

New publication in Marine Drugs! 🌿 Our review on Sonneratia caseolaris (“mangrove apple”) covers 40+ years of research, 141 compounds & strong bioactive potential — a key step for future marine drug discovery. 💊 Read: www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/23... #MarineDrugs #Mangroves

Citizen science is helping protect our oceans 🌊 With Map the Giants, divers and scientists join forces to find and record giant corals — living witnesses of ocean history. Every sighting counts! 🪸 Learn more & join the project: Map the Giants: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Citizen science is reshaping how we study and protect marine ecosystems 🌍 By involving the public in data collection and observation, researchers can extend spatial and temporal coverage — improving… ...

Citizen science is reshaping how we study and protect marine ecosystems 🌍 By involving the public in data collection and observation, researchers can extend spatial and temporal coverage — improving o...

linkedin.com

New paper in Scientific Reports! 📘 Thermal preconditioning—mild heat exposure—can boost coral resilience. Preconditioned corals showed delayed bleaching, stronger defense, and less damage. 🪸🌡 Read more: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

🪸 Proud that MaRHE Center joined the @MafWorld Training School in Genoa (15–19 Sept) on valuing & restoring Animal Forests 🐠. Professors Davide Seveso and Simone Montano shared insights on our research, protection & restoration efforts with the Aquarium of Genoa. 🌊 #MAFWORLD #MarineScience

New study out from Cerri et al.! 🌱 The root extract of 𝘈𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 shows strong cytotoxic effects vs. colorectal & breast cancer cell lines, plus promising antioxidant activity. Full article: www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18...

Our latest study by Toniolo et al. is out 🪸! We reveal how 𝘗𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘢 respond to intermittent light and darkness, adjusting its photosynthetic performance. These findings shed light on coral resilience in the face of urbanization and climate change 🌍 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s003...

Just out in Coral Reefs 📄: We detected sunscreen UV filters (oxybenzone, octinoxate) in Paramuricea clavata corals in the Ligurian Sea 🇮🇹. Levels were higher outside the Portofino MPA, suggesting these areas can help shield marine life from emerging pollutants. OA: link.springer.com/10.1007/s003...

🪸 CBASS Workshop – Maldives 🌡️ 24 Nov–2 Dec ’25 @ MaRHE Center, Magoodhoo Hands‑on CBASS experiments, lectures, snorkeling & SCUBA with Prof. Christian Voolstra @reefgenomics.bsky.social Deadline: 17 Sep ’25 | Limited spots! 🔗 en.unimib.it/news/2nd-edi... #CBASS #CoralReefConservation #MarineWorkshop

🔬✨ Meet Chiara, a PhD researcher tackling coral growth anomalies—skeletal deformations that undermine reef health. Using ecological, morphological & histopathological tools, she’s uncovering disease drivers to boost coral resilience. Follow for updates! #CoralResearch #ReefHealth

📢 Full PhD scholarship for a Maldivian citizen! Study marine science between Italy and the Maldives with UniMiB + MaRHE Center. Deadline: July 24, 12:00 CEST. Apply: en.unimib.it/study/doctor... #PhD #MarineScience #Maldives

Proud to share our new review on rare shark pigmentation disorders, in Ecology and Evolution! 🦈✨ Led by Shark Research Mexico with data from UniMiB, MaRHE, and Miyaru_org. We’re uncovering unique patterns in shark genetics and population health Read it here 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...