The Deep-Sea Podcast

• 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: [email protected] 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

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• 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: [email protected] 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

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• 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: [email protected] 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

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• The Deco-Stop: 004 - No Word for Ocean with Yakup Niyazi

  Here’s our fourth episode of The Deco-Stop; a deeper look into the humans behind deep-sea science and technology. We’ve done our science dive, and now it’s time to decompress, and discuss tales at sea, career paths and the social & political aspects of deep-sea science. We have gazed into the abyss, and now it's gazing back at us.   Alan and Thom speak with Yakup Niyazi, a marine geoscientist who first saw the ocean at the age of 27. This fourth instalment in the Deco-Stop series, which focuses on the human element of deep-sea research, is an inspiring episode about one man’s journey from the desert to the bottom of the ocean, his challenges, achievements, and the deep community support he received along the way.    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, this month we have a heartwarming Deco Stop episode and are again exploring …‘the human element in deep sea stories..’ - Alan    In our fourth instalment of the Deco-Stop series, Alan and Thom speak with Yakup Niyazi about his journey from the edge of the Asian Desert to the bottom of the ocean. An ethnic Uyghur who grew up in the city of Aksu, at the edge of the Taklamakan Desert in Central Asia, Yakup grew up not only physically but also emotionally and culturally removed from the sea. Yakup's early experiences pose some interesting questions: What is it like to grow up in a culture that doesn’t really have a concept of the ocean, and few descriptive words for the ocean? How do you interact with the ocean if your only experiences are from movies and television?    His incredible story is filled with overcoming adversity, fulfilled dreams, landscapes (and seascapes) that come full circle, and a deeper appreciation of the ocean than most people will ever experience. Despite humble beginnings, Yakup has an impressive roster of achievements and a social circle of supportive connections who only want to see him succeed further.    This inspiring episode reminds us that, regardless of our original circumstances, the world is a vast place filled with incredible opportunities. One day, you might find yourself exiting a hadal submarine,  surrounded by the heartwarming cheers of friends and colleagues, having successfully visited the bottom of the ocean you only saw for the first time at age 27.  “I was a camel before, from the desert, but now I am a shark swimming in the ocean”- Yakup Niyazi 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: [email protected] 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   Credits Logo image: Georgia Wells Theme: Going Home by Harvey Jones

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• PRESSURISED: 062 – Mythbusting Ai with Tyler Greenfield

  Welcome to the PRESSURISED version of episode 62, just the science, none of the waffle PRESSURISED: Mythbusting Ai with Tyler Greenfield | The Deep-Sea Podcast | Episode 62 Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading. In a follow-up to one of our favourite episodes, Ep 10 Here be Monsters, we bring Tyler Greenfield back for another fascinating chat, this time about Mythbusting in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Our feeds have been filled with images of mermaids, bizarre creatures supposedly from the depths and even strange barnacle washing videos, so we ask Tyler to bring his expertise to weigh in on the prevalence and problems with AI images.  Guest Interview Tyler Greenfield is a paleontologist and cryptozoologist whose blog, Incertae Sedis reveals the truth behind some cryptozoological stories and paleontological mistakes. Since his appearance on episode 10, Tyler has finished his bachelor’s, written a good few papers, appeared on other podcasts (none as good as his debut of course) and is almost done with his masters and is about to start his PhD. He was even a credited consultant on the new (2025) Walking with Dinosaurs.   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: Hugo Shiboski Check out our podcast merch here!   Join our Patreon to get access to the Discord https://www.patreon.com/c/deepseapodcast   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: [email protected] 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   Reference list The original article for our unfortunate ‘squid’ image  “Colossal Squid Filmed Alive for the First Time”: Juvenile Deep-Sea Monster Captured on Camera in South Atlantic Stuns Scientists - Sustainability Times   How A Golden Nurse Shark Made History   Interview  Tyler’s master’s/doctorate research https://usercontent.one/wp/pecescriollos.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PI-04-Greenfield-2022-List-of-skeletal-material-from-megatooth-sharks.pdf https://usercontent.one/wp/pecescriollos.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PI-06-Shimada-Greenfield-2022-Responses-to-Skeletal-material-from-megatooth-sharks.pdf   AI coelacanth hoax Credits Logo image: AI image originally used by Sustainability Times- AI images are not made by humans and cannot be copyrighted. (Sorry, not sorry)  Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

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