Between the oceanic world of invertebrates and the experience of becoming an aquanaut, I’m joined in conversation with marine ecologist Drew Harvell, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, research scientist at Friday Harbor Laboratories in Washington and Hopkins Marine Station in California, and an incredible author who has illuminated the hidden lives of marine invertebrates, ocean health, and marine disease. 

Together, we talk about her experience as an aquanaut researching coral reefs while saturation diving, bioluminescent ostracods, the discovery of green fluorescent protein in jellyfish and what that means for neuroscience, and the remarkable “superpowers” of sea stars and other invertebrates. We also explore how scientific observation, storytelling, and artistic practice can help us understand these fragile ecosystems and our relationship to the living ocean.