Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology

The Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, created in 1997, is established within the University of Bergen as an independent research centre and studies the basic biological processes in marine organisms using functional and comparative molecular methods. It is a partner with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL.)

Publications

An ancient nutrient transport system in a sea anemone

Blood systems allow the transport of nutrients throughout the body in many animals. A recent study looking at nutrient transport in a sea anemone highlights the simple cellular and molecular mechanisms that allowed animals to transport nutrients before the existence of complex circulatory systems.

News

An introduction to the Sars Centre

The Sars Centre is unique in the field of molecular biology. As a partner of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) since 2003, the centre looks for answers to fundamental questions in animal physiology and evolution by focusing on marine invertebrate organisms.

Publications

The image shows the behavioral space of Ciona intestinalis amidst a range of behavioral manoeuvres performed by the larvae during spontaneous swimming.

Decoding Chordate Behavior

Animals show a remarkable diversity of behaviors. How these behaviors are generated by the nervous system is an intensely studied topic in modern neurobiology. A new paper explores how the behavioral repertoire of chordates evolved into the breath-taking complexity often admired in vertebrates.

News

ERC funding for Sars Centre research on deviations from the Neuron Doctrine

Pawel Burkhardt is awarded with an ERC Consolidator Grant for his exciting project ORIGINEURO

Publications

Scientific illustration of receptors for snails, worms and invertebrates

New Sars Centre paper highlighted by the Journal of Biological Chemistry

The paper from the Lynagh Group was highlighted as one of the journal’s Editors' Picks, which represent the top-rated papers published in JBC across the field of biological chemistry, and was selected for its ‘exceptional contribution to the field.’