The Deep-Sea Podcast

This month we're talking about the flattest of the elasmobranchs: the bottom-dwelling batoids - the deep sea rays and skates!

We’re kicking off our cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) mini-series with the batoids - the rays and skates! Sharks are often associated with the deep sea, but did you know that batoids have been observed as deep as 3000m?

We speak with Will White who researches elasmobranchs across the world and who has described 50 species! He talks us through the differences between sharks rays and skates, and how these species utilise the deep sea. We hear about their fascinating (and hugely varied) reproductive strategies like those that are viviparous (will keep the eggs in their uterus) and others that are oviparous (will lay the eggs).

It wouldn’t be a Coffee with Andrew segment without a memorable insight into the world of a fish curator - and this month’s segment is no different! This time, Dr Thom asks Andrew about an unexpected factoid in one of Andrew’s publications: ‘Yolk smells and tastes like sweetened condensed milk’. We find out exactly how Andrew knows this.

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. 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:

Matthew Gerrard | Jeff Day | Colin Platt

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design... 

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!

We are also on 

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic 

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter: 

Alan - @Hadalbloke (https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke)

Thom - @ThomLinley (https://twitter.com/ThomLinley) 

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://twitter.com/geeinthesea) 

Instagram: 

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://www.instagram.com/geeinthesea/) 

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Links

Moku Art Studio virtual exhibition 

Thom appears on Radio New Zealand

Blog-style articles of our interviews

Here's a nice paper with a few observations of elasmobranch food falls

New parasite just dropped!

New shark family!

Bioluminescence 300 millions years older than previously thought

Fathomverse is now live!

More info on Will and his research

Will’s recent article on a new family of deepwater sharks

Great eggcase hunt - Sharks Trust

Andrew’s book mentioned in Coffee with Andrew

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo Image - Matthias Stehmann et al. (2021)

Edited by - Georgia Wells

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 21. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/021-ai

We have often talked about how difficult it is the get data from the deep sea… but would you believe that the bottleneck to our understanding of the deep ocean, at least as far as visual data, is processing those images? Turning a picture of the deep sea into a list of species, habitat type, sediment type etc. is a time-consuming process that requires a wide range of skilled people.

Due to time/funding constrains a lot of valuable information is lost. A team looking at a specific question will have lots of information in their data that other teams could use.

A picture is worth a thousand data points.

We chat with Dr Kakani Katija, the co-founder of FathomNet, an open-source repository for labelled deep-sea imaging data. The platform is still in beta but it is hoped that it will allow scientists to easily and usefully share their amassed data in a single and easily searchable place.

But what about that processing bottleneck? The tech-savvy listener may have noticed that a massive collection of labelled image data is exactly the sort of thing you need to train a Machine Learning or Deep Learning algorithm. Can we automate a lot of the time-consuming image processing and let the experts focus on the new and unusual stuff? It’s at this cutting edge that things get exciting and we may be at the cusp of a marine science renaissance.

We also launch our podcast merch! Please do send in any pics of you wearing the merch. We find the idea of real people in the actual world wearing this so surreal!

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

[email protected]

We are also on

Twitter: @ArmatusO

Facebook: ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @armatusoceanic

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Artificial Intelligence (AI) – A science dedicated to making machines think in an intelligent way, mirroring a biological brain.

Data pipeline – A path that raw data follows to become useful information.

Deep Learning – a more complex subset of ML that mirrors the way a brain works

Machine Learning (ML) – computers learning to perform a task without being explicitly programmed to do so

ML/AI model or algorithm – A model that has been trained on real data and can now process new data itself.

Online Repository – A database stored online so that people can access it from anywhere

Open Source – A publicly accessible design that people can freely repurpose and adapt.

Visual data – photos or video as a form of scientific data

Our new merch!

Kakani’s Twitter

The FathomNet website – have an explore of the labelled deep-sea critter data

FathomNet GitHub – take a peek under the hood or even get involved

FathomNet articles with tutorials/explanations

Helpful video tutorials

Paper

NOAA Science Seminar, 8 March 2022 1200-1300 PST (UTC-8)

Register now!

FathomNet Workshop, 31 March & 1 April 2022 0800-1100 PST (UTC-8)

Register now!

Internet of Elephants (gamifying processing camera-trap data)

Beyond Blue (game)

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - PRESSURISED logo

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 45. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/045-hagfish

What has no jaw, inverted horizontal teeth, saggy skin and can produce litres of suffocating slime when touched? it’s the episode you’ve been waiting for… The hagfish special is here.

Dr Thom is back from his stint offshore, and The Professor pretty much now lives in a submarine, but that hasn’t stopped them from finally reuniting to make this special episode all about hagfish. We’ve talked about them a lot on the show, and decided it’s time to pass them the mic. So expect lots of slimy stories, toothy tales and a whole load of hagfish trivia you never knew you needed.

There’s lots of updates after so many recent deep sea expeditions, with Thom’s latest cruise discovering many new species and Alan sharing live updates from the sub. Keep up with their latest goings-on via twitter!

We speak to the king of the hagfish, Professor Doug Fudge, who has been studying these critters and their (in)famous slime for decades. We ask all the interesting questions like: how do they make so much slime, do they have any predators and why do they look like that?

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show.

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design... 

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!

We are also on 

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic 

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter: 

Alan - @Hadalbloke (https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke)

Thom - @ThomLinley (https://twitter.com/ThomLinley) 

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://twitter.com/geeinthesea) 

Instagram: 

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://www.instagram.com/geeinthesea/) 

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

People mentioned:

The famous hagfish vs shark slime video

Moku Art Studio virtual exhibition

More info on Professor Douglas Fudge

Fudge’s research lab

Follow Doug on twitter

More info about Andrew Stewart

Dr Vincent Zintzen

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - PRESSURISED

Edited by - Georgia Wells

Dr Thom is back from his stint offshore, and The Professor pretty much now lives in a submarine, but that hasn’t stopped them from finally reuniting to make this special episode all about hagfish. We’ve talked about them a lot on the show, and decided it’s time to pass them the mic. So expect lots of slimy stories, toothy tales and a whole load of hagfish trivia you never knew you needed.

There’s lots of updates after so many recent deep sea expeditions, with Thom’s latest cruise discovering many new species and Alan sharing live updates from the sub. Keep up with their latest goings-on via twitter!

We speak to the king of the hagfish, Professor Doug Fudge, who has been studying these critters and their (in)famous slime for decades. We ask all the interesting questions like: how do they make so much slime, do they have any predators and why do they look like that?

Plus, we have another instalment of the fan-favourite: Coffee with Andrew. This time, Andrew talks us through his love of hagfish, how to successfully remove their slime, and why brushing their teeth is super important!

Thanks again for tuning in - we’ll be back soon with some cartilaginous-based episodes!

--------------------------------------

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. 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:

Shaun Thompson | Maarten van der Meer

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check it out here!! And please do send in any pics of you wearing the merch!

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own comments on:

[email protected]

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook:DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media:

Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke, Thom - @ThomLinley, Georgia - @geeinthesea

Instagram: Thom - @Thom.Linley, Georgia - @geeinthesea

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

The famous hagfish vs shark slime video

Moku Art Studio virtual exhibition

Nazca ridge SOI cruise discovers 100 new species

NewYonder (Sign up here) or explore their catalogue

Don’t forget to use our discount code DEEPSEA20 and get 20% off your first three months of a UK monthly subscription

More info on Professor Douglas Fudge

Fudge’s research lab

Follow Doug on twitter

Follow Jeff on twitter

More info about Andrew Stewart

Dr Vincent Zintzen

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - AMNH

Edited by - Georgia Wells

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 20. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/020-love

It’s February, the month of love and there’s love in the deep ocean too. We talk reproductive strategies in the deep sea with Professor Craig Young, Dr Autun Purser and Dr Mike Vecchione. How do you find a mate in the sparsely populated deep ocean? How can egg and sperm meet when you are fixed growing on a rock? How can your babies disperse and find a suitable habitat, especially if you live in a rare habitat like a hydrothermal vent? We find the solutions to all these problems and more.

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

[email protected]

We are also on

Twitter: @ArmatusO

Facebook: ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @armatusoceanic

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Abyssal plain – the wide-open spaces of the deep sea, most of the planet

Filter feeder – animal that feeds by filtering the water e.g., sponge

Gametes – the reproductive cells, eggs and sperm

Gonad – the organ that produces the gametes

Hadal trench – the deep-sea trenches more than 6 km deep

Hermaphrodite – both male and female simultaneously

Sessile – animals that cannot move (opposite of mobile)

Massive icefish breeding ground paper

Ecosystems of the World – Craig has a great chapter on reproduction in this book

Paper - Estimating dispersal distance in the deep sea: challenges and applications to marine reserves

Paper - Reproduction, Larval Biology, and Recruitment of the Deep-Sea Benthos

Paper - Hadal snailfish reproduction

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - PRESSURISED logo

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 44. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/044-alan-takes-over

It finally happened… we brought you an episode which was recorded almost completely offshore. With Dr Thom in the Bounty Trough and the Professor somewhere in the Pacific, this episode is quite the wild card. Whilst Thom has been busy crocheting fishing nets (that’s science folks), Alan was left to take the reins and he decided to go a little off-piste. We bring it back to the good old days with one of Alan’s (in)famous rants. This one is titled: When does the sea become the deep sea, and why it needs to be changed. Expect to hear about the history of why we decided what makes the deep-sea ‘deep’, and why it might not make sense anymore in our modern world. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this and whether you agree with Alan. 

Finally, we check in with a key individual in the online deep-sea community space: Jeff Day. Jeff’s been on our radar for years with his immense knowledge of deep-sea cephalopods and we thought we’d finally hand him the mic. He talks to us all about his love of deep sea creatures and how he contributes to the field in unconventional ways.

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show.

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design... 

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!

We are also on 

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic 

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter: 

Alan - @Hadalbloke (https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke)

Thom - @ThomLinley (https://twitter.com/ThomLinley) 

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://twitter.com/geeinthesea) 

Instagram: 

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://www.instagram.com/geeinthesea/) 

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

People mentioned:

Follow Jeff on twitter 

Dr Derek Hennen (millipede and centipede taxonomist) 

The Magnapinna Archive (Youtube and Twitter) 

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - PRESSURISED

Edited by - Georgia Wells

Are you looking for a podcast episode that contains the return of the blobfish, golden crochet hooks and rare deep-sea squid? Well, look no further than this episode of The Deep-Sea Podcast! 

It finally happened… we brought you an episode which was recorded almost completely offshore. With Dr Thom in the Bounty Trough and the Professor somewhere in the Pacific, this episode is quite the wild card. Whilst Thom has been busy crocheting fishing nets (that’s science folks), Alan was left to take the reins and he decided to go a little off-piste. We bring it back to the good old days with one of Alan’s (in)famous rants. This one is titled: When does the sea become the deep sea, and why it needs to be changed. Expect to hear about the history of why we decided what makes the deep-sea ‘deep’, and why it might not make sense anymore in our modern world. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this and whether you agree with Alan. 

Dr Thom does make an appearance in this episode, giving us a run-down of how the research cruise is going (SPOILER: The blobfish is back). Plus, we hear about the original blobfish and how exactly it came to be an internet sensation, from the man who was there: new fan favourite, Andrew Stewart.

Finally, we check in with a key individual in the online deep-sea community space: Jeff Day. Jeff’s been on our radar for years with his immense knowledge of deep-sea cephalopods and we thought we’d finally hand him the mic. He talks to us all about his love of deep sea creatures and how he contributes to the field in unconventional ways.

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. 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:

Jacqueline | Tyler Medeiros | Kevin Gilley

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design... 

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!

We are also on 

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic 

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media

Twitter: 

Alan - @Hadalbloke (https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke)

Thom - @ThomLinley (https://twitter.com/ThomLinley) 

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://twitter.com/geeinthesea) 

Instagram: 

Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://www.instagram.com/geeinthesea/) 

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Moku Art Studio virtual exhibition 

Parasite director Bong Joon-ho is set to begin filming deep sea species for his new film this year 

A new species of deep-sea mud dragon has been described by Martin Vinther Sørensen

New fishery for lanternfish https://phys.org/news/2024-02-deep-sea-fishery-horizon.html

Info on the original Mr Blobby 

People mentioned:

Follow Jeff on twitter 

More info about Andrew Stewart 

Dr Vincent Zintzen (Filmed the blobfish in situ)

Dr Derek Hennen (millipede and centipede taxonomist) 

The Magnapinna Archive (Youtube and Twitter) 

Bruce Robison 

Daniel Moore - Ocean census

Kat Bolstead (ALCES Squid Squad)

Kerryn Parkinson (Australian Museum)

Joe Nelson (Expert in blobfishes)

Soundtrack of the month:

Tangaroa - Alien Weaponry

Spotify & Youtube

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - Thomas Linley

Edited by - Georgia Wells

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 19. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be! Read the show notes and find the full episode here: https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/019-squid

As promised in the Christmas special, we call the ‘squid-phone’ – a special line used by scientists globally when they seem something strange and squiddy. On the other end of that line is Mike Vecchione, the expert on cephalopods. We talk giant and colossal squid (to audible groans from Mike); the bigfin squid (Magnapinna), most famous for being the squid with the long trailing arms that’s often used as an example of terrifying deep-sea creatures, but also a species, genus and Family that Mike described and would love more sightings of.

We are also on:

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

Facebook: @DeepSeaPodcast

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

Read the show notes and find out more about us at: www.armatusoceanic.com

Credits Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Edited by - Georgia Wells

#deepsea #marinebiologist #marinebiology #podcast #marianatrench #science #magnapinna #colossalsquid #giantsquid #gigantism #scicomm #deepseafish #deepseacreatures

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 43. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/043-offshore-stories

From being repeatedly thrown off your bed in a storm, to seeing blue whales out of your porthole, working at sea doesn't leave you short of stories. And with Dr Thom and the Professor both heading offshore soon, they thought what better time to share some of their sea stories. From tips on how to hold your pee for 12+ hours, to tales of typhoons, this episode is jam-packed with real-life tales from decades of working offshore.

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. 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:

Antony Raymont | Courtney Johnston | Davina Gifford | Sophie Schindler

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check it out here!! And please do send in any pics of you wearing the merch!

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own comments on:

[email protected]

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook:DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media:

Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke, Thom - @ThomLinley, Georgia - @geeinthesea

Instagram: Thom - @Thom.Linley, Georgia - @geeinthesea

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED Logo

Edited by - Georgia Wells

From being repeatedly thrown off your bed in a storm, to seeing blue whales out of your porthole, working at sea doesn't leave you short of stories. And with Dr Thom and the Professor both heading offshore soon, they thought what better time to share some of their sea stories. From tips on how to hold your pee for 12+ hours, to tales of typhoons, this episode is jam-packed with real-life tales from decades of working offshore.

In deep sea news: Norway has decided to go ahead with deep sea mining, cold coral reefs are being discovered, and hoards of marine fungi have been found in the twilight zone! But more importantly than all of that: the Professor was awarded an OBE! His sword and noble steed are currently in the post (first class), and we’re hoping they reach him in Perth from the Palace.

We’ve also started a new segment with long-time friend of the show, Andrew Stewart who has an interesting hobby of manufacturing cod-liver shark-liver oil. Expect more unexpected stories from Andrew in future episodes!

Finally, we want to say thanks again for your support! We have lots of exciting upcoming episodes all about the (in)famous hagfish, deep sea sharks and our favourite: chimera. Stay tuned!

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. 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:

Antony Raymont | Courtney Johnston | Davina Gifford | Sophie Schindler

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check it out here!! And please do send in any pics of you wearing the merch!

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own comments on:

[email protected]

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO

Facebook:DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic

Keep up with the team on social media:

Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke, Thom - @ThomLinley, Georgia - @geeinthesea

Instagram: Thom - @Thom.Linley, Georgia - @geeinthesea

Read the show notes and find out more about us at:

www.armatusoceanic.com

Just the Zoo of us Podcast with Dr Thom

DOSI newsletter to keep up with everything deep sea

Megalodon tooth found in nodule field

Norway becomes the first country in the world to approve commercial-scale deep-sea mining.

Largest study of ocean dna finds a huge abundance of fungi in the mesopelagic zone. Scientific paper & news article

Hagfish genome sequenced

Largest cold-water coral reef to date has been found

Andrew’s bio

Andrew’s blog on the Gut Stuffer 2000

A Song About an Anglerfish - Hank Green

Cold-water corals - Deep-water corals (or cold-water corals) grow in water temperatures of 4 - 12°C. Unlike shallow water corals, they do not depend on a symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) for growth and survival, resulting in slower growth.

Deep-sea mining - The process of extracting manganese nodules from the deep ocean floor.

Hagfish - An eel-shaped jawless fish. Hagfish are marine predators and scavengers.

Hull - A hull is the watertight body of a ship.

Megalodon - An extinct species of giant shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago.

Metagenomes - Genetic material taken from the environment rather than from one individual.

OBE - (Order of the British Empire) is a British award rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service.

Squalene - Squalene is a natural oil that comes from shark liver.

Submarine - A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater.

Thrusters - Manoeuvering thrusters (bow thrusters and stern thrusters) are propulsion devices built into, or mounted to, either the bow or stern, of a ship to make it more manoeuvrable.

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - Wikicommons

Edited by - Georgia Wells