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. 

Crypt - The chambers within the squid's light organ.

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!

BlueSky: @deepseapod.com

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

Twitter: 

Alan - @Hadalbloke

Thom - @ThomLinley 

Instagram: 

Thom - @thom.linley 

Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions

BlueSky:

Thom @thomaslinley.com

 Alan @hadalbloke

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

Logo image: Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai

Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel