The Deep-Sea Podcast

Cephstravanganza with Professor Kat Bolstad


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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:

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      Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:

      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

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      https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com

       

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      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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      The Deep-Sea PodcastBy Thomas Linley

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