The Deep-Sea Podcast

Thomas Linley

A couple of deep-sea scientists talk everything deep sea! Interesting facts, recent news, myth-busting and interviews with the most interesting people we know.

  1. PRESSURISED: 066 – Hadal Zone Master Class with Professor Alan Jamieson

    1D AGO · BONUS

    PRESSURISED: 066 – Hadal Zone Master Class with Professor Alan Jamieson

    Welcome to the PRESSURISED version of episode 66. Just the science, none of the chit-chat.  Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading. In this episode… Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!    Our guest this month is the one, the only, Prof. Alan Jamieson! Join our most favorite deep-sea professor, who takes us on a tour of the very bottom of the deepest of deep-sea. Get ready for a hot take on the past, present and future of this frontier science, while we “turn our backs to the shallow water”- Alan.    Support the show The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Melissa M Undersea TV Max Frieda of Moku Art Studio    Check out our podcast merch here!   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone! https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Find out more Social media BlueSky: @deepseapod.com Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Instagram: @deepsea_podcast   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com  Alan @hadalbloke   Reference list Interview Links Volcanic deposits on the Tonga forearc and trench: new insights from direct seafloor observations Deep ocean seascape ecology: gaps and pathways for application Geomorphology and bait-attending hadal fauna of the sui-shin hole (Philippine Basin, NW Pacific; 5616–6410 m) - ScienceDirect Bottom mixed layer derivation and spatial variability over the central and eastern abyssal Pacific Ocean Credits Logo image: Alan Jamieson Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    45 min
  2. Hadal Zone Master Class with Professor Alan Jamieson

    JAN 31

    Hadal Zone Master Class with Professor Alan Jamieson

    Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading. In this episode… Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!    This month Alan makes it back to Perth for another of Old Mate’s sausage sizzles, and Thom is deep into prep mode for his upcoming Antarctica trip. We talk about video games, an Australian classic song of the month, glycerin mega mouth sharks and polar bear patrols. Our guest this month is the one, the only, Prof. Alan Jamieson! Join our most favorite deep-sea professor, who takes us on a tour of the very bottom of the deepest of deep-sea. Get ready for a hot take on the past, present and future of this frontier science, while we “turn our backs to the shallow water”- Alan.    In the news, get ready for updates on:   Microplastic and Copepod gut tracts Rare Phantom Jelly footage An Arctic Deep-sea oasis A surprise source of hydrogen for the deep-sea The King-of-the-salmon visits the surface waters    We hear from Meghan Jones, cofounder of the Unseen Ocean Collective with a fun Q&A about upcoming events in Juneau Alaska and Spokane Washington, 2026.  Discord update Deep-sea dating articles Deep-Sea Valentine game Book recommendations and ROV highlight reels Squid hats in the wild. Whale-fall tattoos Support the show The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Melissa M Undersea TV Max Frieda of Moku Art Studio    Check out our podcast merch here!   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone! https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Find out more Social media BlueSky: @deepseapod.com Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Instagram: @deepsea_podcast   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com  Alan @hadalbloke   Reference list News  Deep-Sea News Study Records Zooplankton Transporting Microplastics to the Deep Sea Real-time visualization reveals copepod mediated microplastic flux - ScienceDirect Deep-Sea Divers Capture Rare Footage of a Giant Phantom Jellyfish | PetaPixel Schmidt Ocean Institute Phantom Jellyfish Footage Scientists just found 'deep-sea oasis' in an Arctic region thought to be barren Deep-sea vents are drawing hydrogen from a hidden source - Earth.com California Diver Spots Rare Deep-Sea King-Of-The-Salmon Just 4.6 Meters Below The Surface Discord Updates These Deep-Sea Creatures Liked You on Hinge - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency Deep-Sea Valentine Game Unseen Ocean Collective Unseen Ocean Collective Website Unseen Ocean Collective (@unseenoceancollective) • Instagram photos and videos Unseen Ocean Collective on BlueSky Free Deep-Sea Coloring Pages Interview Links Volcanic deposits on the Tonga forearc and trench: new insights from direct seafloor observations Deep ocean seascape ecology: gaps and pathways for application Geomorphology and bait-attending hadal fauna of the sui-shin hole (Philippine Basin, NW Pacific; 5616–6410 m) - ScienceDirect Bottom mixed layer derivation and spatial variability over the central and eastern abyssal Pacific Ocean Credits Song of the month: Smoko by The Chats Logo image: Alan Jamieson Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    1h 19m
  3. PRESSURISED: 065 – Giant Testate Protists with Professor Andrew Gooday

    JAN 18 · BONUS

    PRESSURISED: 065 – Giant Testate Protists with Professor Andrew Gooday

    Welcome to the PRESSURISED version of episode 65, just the science, none of the waffle   Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading. In this episode… Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!    This month, we are talking giant testate protists, the coolest things you have probably never heard of. Giant cells on the deep seabed that can reach 20 cm or more. They build elaborate shells, and despite having known about them for hundreds of years, there are still loads we don't understand about them. Support the show The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us.   Check out our podcast merch here!   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone! https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Find out more Social media BlueSky: @deepseapod.com https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com   Twitter: @DeepSeaPod https://twitter.com/DeepSeaPod   Instagram: @deepsea_podcast https://www.instagram.com/deepsea_podcast/   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com  Alan @hadalbloke Reference list Interview Links Paleodictyon - Wikipedia   Paleodictyon nodosum: A living fossil on the deep-sea floor   Massive occurrence of a new soft-walled monothalamous foraminifer, Bathyallogromia brandtae n.sp., in the hadal Aleutian trench   An Integrative Taxonomic Survey of Benthic Foraminiferal Species (Protista, Rhizaria) from the Eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone Credits Logo image: NOAA public domain Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    42 min
  4. Giant Testate Protists with Professor Andrew Gooday

    JAN 9

    Giant Testate Protists with Professor Andrew Gooday

    Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading. In this episode… Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!    Thom and Alan discuss Christmas from opposite ends of the planet, where Alan gets ‘proper’ Christmas in Scotland with snow and everything. At the opposite end, Thom insists on using his new BBQ, despite a rainstorm turning the air to liquid. The exhibit that Thom was curating, Breathe | Mauri Ora at Te Papa, is an examination of the intersection of science and art by Marshmallow Lazer Feast. It is open now if you find yourself in Wellington, New Zealand.   This month, we are talking giant testate protists, the coolest things you have probably never heard of. Giant cells on the deep seabed that can reach 20 cm or more. They build elaborate shells, and despite having known about them for hundreds of years, there are still loads we don't understand about them. In the news, get ready for updates on: Squids hiding under the sea floor, pretending to be plants A rare seven-armed octopus sighting Deep-sea art that highlights the effects of coral dredging Missing zombie worms and expanding oxygen minimum zones New Whale Tags helping with deep-sea data recovery A massive white skate nursery and Canada’s first hydrothermal site   Discord update The Deep-Sea Pets Channel continues to give back with excellent photos of our fav friends Our Holiday party was a total success, with many episodes of Octonauts watched and ‘enjoyed’ by all We assessed some of the ‘animal saving’ videos, as discussed by Tyler on the Mythbusting AI episode.  Excellent Dragon-based book recommendations.  We all wished we could visit Thom’s New show opening at Te Papa. Thom shared a beautiful video about Antarctica from his Falkor Too trip last year.  Planning a Time Machine to scuba dive ancient seas, study the squid therein, and then hop on a boat trip with Darwin.  TBOS and KBOS brushes of science versus various squid photos.  Compared holiday baking recipes  Photos and observations shared from SOA divestream viewing And, as always, vicarious travel to aquariums around the world! Support the show The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us.   Check out our podcast merch here!   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone! https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Find out more Social media BlueSky: @deepseapod.com https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com   Twitter: @DeepSeaPod https://twitter.com/DeepSeaPod   Instagram: @deepsea_podcast https://www.instagram.com/deepsea_podcast/   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com  Alan @hadalbloke Reference list News  Deep Sea Valentines | Support Skype a Scientist with the Squid Facts shop!   Deep-Sea News Unknown species of squid spotted burying itself upside down, pretending to be a plant Rarely-Seen Seven-Arm 'Blob' Octopus Filmed by Underwater Camera | PetaPixel Former submarine pilot's art highlights the deep sea | Hawai'i Public Radio Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) | Kerby Illustrations Zombie worms are missing and scientists are alarmed | ScienceDaily Whale tag will help decode communication in the deep ocean - Earth.com Scientists Uncover Massive Deep-Sea Eggs Inside on Active Volcano Thought to Be Extinct for Centuries   Discord Updates Inside Breathe: Mauri Ora at Te Papa | RNZ Crossing the Divide | Climate Connections at the Ice-Sea Interface Interview Links Paleodictyon - Wikipedia   Paleodictyon nodosum: A living fossil on the deep-sea floor   Massive occurrence of a new soft-walled monothalamous foraminifer, Bathyallogromia brandtae n.sp., in the hadal Aleutian trench   An Integrative Taxonomic Survey of Benthic Foraminiferal Species (Protista, Rhizaria) from the Eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone Credits Song of the month: It is that deep, bro by Matt Storer Logo image: NOAA public domain Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    1h 7m
  5. PRESSURISED: 064 – Cephstravanganza with Professor Kat Bolstad

    12/20/2025 · BONUS

    PRESSURISED: 064 – Cephstravanganza with Professor Kat Bolstad

    Welcome to the PRESSURISED version of episode 64, just the science, none of the waffle PRESSURISED: Cephstravanganza with Professor Kat Bolstad  | The Deep-Sea Podcast | Episode 64 Episode Summary In our newest episode, we join roving reporter Kat Bolstad at the Cephalopod International Advisory Council in Okinawa and hear from some of the most interesting people in Cephalopod research.  Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading.   In this episode… Our episode this month is a fascinating collection of interviews from the Cephalopod International Advisory Council Meeting that took place Oct-Nov in Okinawa Japan. Join Kat Bolstad, our roving reporter, as she takes time between bug hunting, seeing her first wild cuttlefish and shaking hands with a new octopus friend to collect interviews with some of the coolest names in Ceph science with a focus on the deep-sea. We hear from 12 Cephalopod experts on a wide variety of topics, including the preferred snacks for cephalopods, the effects of oxygen depletion on egg hatching, water temperature and acidification effects on cephalopod populations, and of course, the correct answer to the viral question: are octopuses actually ALIENS?   Support the show The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Elisabeth Grace Diemer Nes Morgan Check out our podcast merch here!   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone! https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time! Find out more Social media BlueSky: @deepseapod.com https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com   Twitter: @DeepSeaPod https://twitter.com/DeepSeaPod   Instagram: @deepsea_podcast https://www.instagram.com/deepsea_podcast/   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com  Alan @hadalbloke   Reference list Unseen Ocean Collective Unseen Ocean Collective. Unseen Ocean Collective (@unseenoceancollective) • Instagram photos and videos https://bsky.app/profile/unseenocean.bsky.social   Interview Links Kat’s Socials Bluesky: @autsquidsquad.bsky.social   Sarah McAnulty Skype a Scientist SkypeAScientist.com  Squidfacts.net     Kristina Fleetwood  Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Décima lab website   Meg Mindlin Invertibabe    Toni’s socials  Twitter,   ResearchGate  ORCID    Toni’s Research Group Funcionamiento y Vulnerabilidad de Ecosistemas Marinos | Institut de Ciències del Mar   Other Links Breathe | Mauri Ora | Te Papa @Tailsfromthedeep  Global biodiversity of the genus Ommastrephes (Ommastrephidae: Cephalopoda): an allopatric cryptic species complex  Mitochondrial genome diversity and population structure of the giant squid Architeuthis Spatial ecology of Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus in Mediterranean deep-water environments: implications for designing no-take marine reserves (MEPS) Diel and seasonal patterns of Nephrops norvegicus (Decapoda: Nephropidae) catchability in the western Mediterranean Antarctic octos as records and predictors of climate-related changes in the Antarctic “Emerging evidence of abrupt changes in the Antarctic environment“  Danna Staaf books  Cephalopod camouflage bibliography on Zotero AUT Lab for Cephalopod Ecology & Systematics aka AUT ‘Squid Squad’   Cephalopod Images and Footage Keishu Asada Instagram CIAC 2025 website, programme, book of abstracts https://www.ryo-minemizu.com/  Keishu Asada Marine Videos Keishu Asada Instagram  @PeterandtheOctopus    Credits Song of the month: Tornado of Souls, by Megadeth, performed by medium-sized Jamieson. Logo image: Photo credit to Peter Morse @PeterAndTheOctopus  Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    1h 10m
  6. Cephstravanganza with Professor Kat Bolstad

    12/06/2025

    Cephstravanganza with Professor Kat Bolstad

    Episode Summary In our newest episode, we join roving reporter Kat Bolstad at the Cephalopod International Advisory Council in Okinawa and hear from some of the most interesting people in Cephalopod research.    Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading. In this episode… Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!  The Professor is still down under, organizing conferences and recuperating from Old Mate’s Classic Aussie Sausage Sizzle, a robust event filled with friends of the podcast and still felt 24 hours later.    Thom is freshly back from another big ocean/small boat adventure, in which the ocean always wins and his stomach always loses… everything. He is also stretching his creative muscles and curating an exciting new museum exhibit called Breathe | Mauri Ora at Te Papa, an examination of science into art by Marshmallow Lazer Feast.    Our episode this month is a fascinating collection of interviews from the Cephalopod International Advisory Council Meeting that took place Oct-Nov in Okinawa Japan. Join Kat Bolstad, our roving reporter, as she takes time between bug hunting, seeing her first wild cuttlefish and shaking hands with a new octopus friend to collect interviews with some of the coolest names in Ceph science with a focus on the deep-sea. We hear from 12 Cephalopod experts on a wide variety of topics, including the preferred snacks for cephalopods, the effects of oxygen depletion on egg hatching, water temperature and acidification effects on cephalopod populations, and of course, the correct answer to the viral question: are octopuses actually ALIENS?   In the news, get ready for updates on: Deep diving manta rays using the ocean bottom to navigate A newly launched AI tool to map the Deep- Sea Bright blue mud filled with fat molecules indicating life in the deep Corals and Crinoids sharing symbionts and cycling nitrogen And an update from the Unseen Ocean Collective about the work they are creating for a show in Juneau Alaska in 2026. On the Discord, we’ve been busy with: Voting on the Holiday Party movie Started a long overdue ART channel, and a new Pets channel Photo tours of submersibles and Okinawa  Early Holiday celebrations by one of our hosts Great feedback and conversation on our last episode.  Support the show The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Elisabeth Grace Diemer Nes Morgan Check out our podcast merch here!   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone! https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time! Find out more Social media BlueSky: @deepseapod.com https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com   Twitter: @DeepSeaPod https://twitter.com/DeepSeaPod   Instagram: @deepsea_podcast https://www.instagram.com/deepsea_podcast/   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  https://twitter.com/ThomLinley Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  https://www.instagram.com/thom.linley/ Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions https://www.instagram.com/inkfishexpeditions/ BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com https://bsky.app/profile/thomaslinley.com  Alan @hadalbloke https://bsky.app/profile/hadalbloke.bsky.social   Reference list News  Deep-Sea News World's largest rays may be diving to extreme depths to build mental maps of vast oceans China launches AI tool for deep-sea research Fat Molecules in Deep-Sea Mud Volcanoes Reveal How Microbes Survive Extreme Conditions | Discover Magazine Putative promiscuous symbionts in deep-sea corals and crinoids may contribute to nitrogen cycling | Microbiome   Unseen Ocean Collective Unseen Ocean Collective. Unseen Ocean Collective (@unseenoceancollective) • Instagram photos and videos https://bsky.app/profile/unseenocean.bsky.social   Discord Updates Holiday Party! Join Patreon here to get access to the Holiday party!   Interview Links Kat’s Socials Bluesky: @autsquidsquad.bsky.social   Sarah McAnulty Skype a Scientist SkypeAScientist.com  Squidfacts.net     Kristina Fleetwood  Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Décima lab website Meg Mindlin Invertibabe    Toni’s socials  Twitter,   ResearchGate  ORCID    Toni’s Research Group Funcionamiento y Vulnerabilidad de Ecosistemas Marinos | Institut de Ciències del Mar   Other Links Breathe | Mauri Ora | Te Papa @Tailsfromthedeep  Global biodiversity of the genus Ommastrephes (Ommastrephidae: Cephalopoda): an allopatric cryptic species complex  Mitochondrial genome diversity and population structure of the giant squid Architeuthis Spatial ecology of Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus in Mediterranean deep-water environments: implications for designing no-take marine reserves (MEPS) Diel and seasonal patterns of Nephrops norvegicus (Decapoda: Nephropidae) catchability in the western Mediterranean Antarctic octos as records and predictors of climate-related changes in the Antarctic “Emerging evidence of abrupt changes in the Antarctic environment“  Danna Staaf books  Cephalopod camouflage bibliography on Zotero AUT Lab for Cephalopod Ecology & Systematics aka AUT ‘Squid Squad’   Cephalopod Images and Footage Keishu Asada Instagram CIAC 2025 website, programme, book of abstracts https://www.ryo-minemizu.com/  Keishu Asada Marine Videos Keishu Asada Instagram    @PeterandtheOctopus    Credits Song of the month: Tornado of Souls, by Megadeth, performed by medium-sized Jamieson. Logo image: Photo credit to Peter Morse @PeterAndTheOctopus  Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    1h 55m
  7. PRESSURISED: 063 – Bioluminescent Symbiosis with Margaret McFall-Ngai

    11/15/2025 · BONUS

    PRESSURISED: 063 – Bioluminescent Symbiosis with Margaret McFall-Ngai

    Welcome to the PRESSURISED version of episode 63, just the science, none of the waffle PRESSURISED: Bioluminescent Symbiosis with Margaret McFall-Ngai | The Deep-Sea Podcast | Episode 63   Our guest this month is Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai, an animal physiologist and biochemist who is a staff researcher at Carnegie Institution for Science’s Division of Biosphere Sciences and Engineering, with her lab stationed at the California Institute of Technology in Biology and Biological Engineering. Dr. McFal-Ngai talks us through her work on the stable beneficial relationship between the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) and its partner, the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri. Although technically not a deep-sea species, this relationship and its details might help us understand how deep-sea life creates bioluminescence and the possible life cycle impacts for the creatures involved.    Glossary Crypt - The chambers within the squid's light organ.   Support the show The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Sophie Bagshaw Laura Check out our podcast merch here!   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone! https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Find out more Social media BlueSky: @deepseapod.com Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Instagram: @deepsea_podcast   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com  Alan @hadalbloke   Reference list Interview Links A lasting symbiosis: how the Hawaiian bobtail squid finds and keeps its bioluminescent bacterial partner A lasting symbiosis: how Vibrio fischeri finds a squid partner and persists within its natural host   Credits Logo image: Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    38 min
  8. Bioluminescent Symbiosis with Margaret McFall-Ngai

    11/07/2025

    Bioluminescent Symbiosis with Margaret McFall-Ngai

    Episode Summary In our newest episode, Bioluminescent Symbiosis, we speak with Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai, an animal physiologist and biochemist about her work with the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) and its partner, the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri. McFall-Ngai provides a great synopsis of how this stable beneficial relationship not only creates light, and supports the bobtail maturation, but can also help us understand what could be going on in the light organs of deep-sea animals.     Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading.     In this episode… Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!    The Professor is jetsetting as always, back in Edinburgh after a stint getting all the equipment ready in the Canary Island and is now happily being confused with professional racecar drivers. He will be back in Perth shortly to celebrate the Deep-Sea center paper publishing streak and reconnect with his Capybara spirit animal.    Thom is being called out in New Zealand Parliament, for all the right reasons, and he spent some Deep-Sea conference time in China, avoiding typhoons and pondering science ideas.    We are also celebrating 300,000 podcast downloads of the podcast, and appreciate our fans immensely!    Our guest this month is Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai, an animal physiologist and biochemist who is a staff researcher at Carnegie Institution for Science’s Division of Biosphere Sciences and Engineering, with her lab stationed at the California Institute of Technology in Biology and Biological Engineering. Dr. McFal-Ngai talks us through her work on the stable beneficial relationship between the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) and its partner, the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri. Although technically not a deep-sea species, this relationship and its details might help us understand how deep-sea life creates bioluminescence and the possible life cycle impacts for the creatures involved.    In the news, get ready for updates on: Plenty of Science and Art collaboration news including a new collective, social media feeds and an opportunity for scientists to connect with artists.  Toxic Yellow worms, bright pink snailfish, and chewbacca corals. An immensely important treaty ratification with worldwide impact.  Headteeth, yes you read that right. ‘ On the Discord, we’ve been busy with: Bobtail squid fostercare New Boardgame recommendations Needle felting New community papers and a Juicy Booty Starfish   Support the show The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Sophie Bagshaw Laura Check out our podcast merch here!   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone! https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Find out more Social media BlueSky: @deepseapod.com Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Instagram: @deepsea_podcast   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com  Alan @hadalbloke   Reference list News  Links from Friends of the Show: Skype a Scientist Products | Support Skype a Scientist with the Squid Facts shop! Deep Sea Biology Society ArtSea Matchmaking Project Unseen Ocean Collective. Unseen Ocean Collective (@unseenoceancollective) • Instagram photos and videos https://bsky.app/profile/unseenocean.bsky.social Swedish Biodiversity Symposium, 21 - 23 October 2025 Deep Sea Art + Science Feed on Blue Sky   News Deep-Sea Worm Produces Orpiment, a Toxic Yellow Pigment Used in Historical Art | Scientific American Mānoa: Chewbacca coral: New deep-sea species spotted in waters off Hawai‘i, Mariana Trench | University of Hawaii News Nations ratify the world's first treaty to protect international waters Ghost sharks grow teeth on their heads to mate | ScienceDaily Descriptions of Three Newly Discovered Abyssal Snailfishes (Liparidae) from the Eastern Pacific Ocean   Discord Updates Applying Deep Learning to Quantify Drivers of Long-Term Ecological Change in a Swedish Marine Protected Area Diatoms | Board Game | BoardGameGeek Juicy Booty Starfish   Join our Patreon to get access to the Discord   Interview Links A lasting symbiosis: how the Hawaiian bobtail squid finds and keeps its bioluminescent bacterial partner A lasting symbiosis: how Vibrio fischeri finds a squid partner and persists within its natural host   Credits Logo image: Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    1h 11m
5
out of 5
46 Ratings

About

A couple of deep-sea scientists talk everything deep sea! Interesting facts, recent news, myth-busting and interviews with the most interesting people we know.

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