Marine Biology

Last week I was lucky enough to attend a lecture at my school on Marine biology and its many uses in modern society and its diversity. Of the 35 phylum in the Animalia kingdom only 1 phyla is for animals based solely on land, with the remaining 34 consisting of animals who can both live on land and water. Furthermore, of these 34 nearly 15 phylum consist of animals found solely in water.

Not only is this important in biodiversity on the planet, but many of these species and organisms can be used to help us, especially in helping to make medicines and find treatments for various diseases. In the past few years alone, various drugs have been made with the help of sea creatures and thus marine biology is an ever expanding field. Key examples of the use of marine biology in modern medicine include the drug Zovirax, that is commonly used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus infections along with the treatment of chickenpox and shingles (herpes zoster). The basis for the synthesis for aciclovir (or zovirax) came from the Caribbean sponge, Cryptothya crypta in the 1980's. Additionally the drug Ziconotide (or prialt) comes from a species of cone snail (Conus magus) that produce this toxin in order to save themselves from predators. Synthesis of this toxin led to the manufacture of the drug which is now used as pain relief as it stops nerves working, helping to relieve pain. Not only is marine biology important in the production of effective drugs it is can also help provide supplements such as cod liver oil, which contain omega 3 acids.

Developments in this sector are now advancing at a rapid rate as new discoveries are being made daily. Recently research has been started on plankton in the sea, that are eaten by cod to produce oil in the liver, which is then consumed by humans as health supplements. This can help eliminate our dependance on cod, whose numbers have been steadily declining in recent years due to overfishing. Another key area of research is in biofilm, which is a slimy layer formed by bacteria. It starts of as a single bacteria landing on a surface which is then joined by millions of other bacteria to form a colony, effectively forming a biofilm. Recent research into biofilm has shown the many applications of it as it can be used for a wide variety of uses including in laundry detergents, in artificial implants and in veterinary medicine.