The Deep-Sea Podcast

Latest Episodes:

PRESSURISED: 004 – Fear of the deep sea with Glenn Singleman Nov 25, 2022

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 4. 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/004-fear-of-the-deep-sea-with-glenn-singleman

We turn the spotlight on ourselves and wonder why humanity seems to have an intrinsic fear of the deep sea. Glenn Singleman joins us to give a psychological explanation for why we feel differently about the deep sea and we take a deep dive into deep-sea tropes we see in the media.

Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.

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

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

Links

Glenn Singleman’s bio

Alan, Thom and Glenn’s paper on Fear of the Deep Sea

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED

PRESSURISED: 029 – Deep se... river?! ecosystems with Melanie Stiassny Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 29. 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/029-deep-rivers

Everyone has been very busy this month with Thom and the Professor officially describing a new species of blue snailfish, alongside their adventures in Singapore. We hear from one of our old students about the work he’s been doing in deep freshwater ecosystems, which got us thinking about these unique environments and the kind of species that live there. We decided to throw one last curveball away from the deep sea and speak with Dr Melanie Stiassny, an ichthyologist who’s focused her research on the deep water fish of the Congo river.

We couldn’t go an episode without discussing the latest deep-sea related conspiracy theories. And of course, we hear from Don about how freshwater affects sub manoeuvres.

Check out our podcast merch! 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:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

Glossary

Acoustic doppler current profiler - a device that uses sound waves to measure the speed and direction of currents throughout the water column.
Delta - a landform shaped like a triangle, where the mouth of a river flows into an ocean.
Halocline - a vertical zone in the water column in which salinity changes rapidly with depth.
Giant Isopod - (Scientific genus: Bathynomus) carnivorous crustaceans which are abundant in the deep-sea.
Giger - H.R. Giger an award-winning Swiss artist who designed the creature from the 1979 sci-fi horror film ‘Alien’.
Rapids - sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.
Sargasso sea - a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre.

Links

Dr Thom’s new paper on the blue hadal snailfish

Alans paper on hadal connectivity

Eel love

Melanie’s work and recent research:

Melanie’s recent paper on the discovery of a new species of air-breathing catfish

Melanie’s article on her work in the lower Congo

Melanie’s NY times article on her research on the deep river Congo

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED

029 – Deep se…river?! ecosystems with Melanie Stiassny Nov 05, 2022

Show notes

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/029-deep-rivers

Everyone has been very busy this month with Thom and the Professor officially describing a new species of blue snailfish, alongside their adventures in Singapore. We hear from one of our old students about the work he’s been doing in deep freshwater ecosystems, which got us thinking about these unique environments and the kind of species that live there. We decided to throw one more curveball away from the deep sea and speak with Dr Melanie Stiassny, an ichthyologist who’s focused her research on the deep-water fish of the Congo River.

We couldn’t go an episode without discussing the latest deep-sea related conspiracy theories. And of course, we hear from Don about how freshwater affects sub manoeuvres.

Check out our podcast merch! 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:

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

Thom - @ThomLinley

Georgia - @geeinthesea

Instagram:

Georgia - @geeinthesea

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

www.armatusoceanic.com

Glossary

Acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) - a device that uses sound waves to measure the speed and direction of currents throughout the water column.

Delta - a landform shaped like a triangle, where the mouth of a river flows into an ocean.

Halocline - a vertical zone in the water column in which salinity changes rapidly with depth.

Giant Isopod - (Scientific genus: Bathynomus) carnivorous crustaceans which are abundant in the deep-sea.

Giger - H.R. Giger an award-winning Swiss artist who designed the creature from the 1979 sci-fi horror film ‘Alien’.

Rapids - sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.

Sargasso Sea - a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre.

Links

Alans TEDx talk

The art exhibition that Alan and Thom visited in Singapore

John Quentin’s new deep-sea sci-fi novel, The Verdansky Ultimatum

Alans paper on hadal connectivity

Dr Thom’s new paper on the blue hadal snailfish

Eel love, Macduff aquarium releasing their eels

Lake Baikal sculpins!

Crocs on Helium story and video

Melanie’s work and recent research

Melanie’s recent paper on the discovery of a new species of air-breathing catfish

Melanie’s article on her work in the lower Congo

Melanie’s research on the deep river Congo

Fishes in the lower Congo River. An extreme case of species divergence and convergent evolution

Dying Fish Revealed Congo Is World's Deepest River

Videos:

https://vimeo.com/channels/nsf/24733777

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tObYa9KQb8w&feature=relmfu

Melanie’s TEDx talk

Credits

Oceanchild - Spidergawd

Selti - Skatatacama

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image

Image courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History/Melanie Stiassny

PRESSURISED: 003 – Aesthetics of the deep sea with artist Alex Gould Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 3. 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/003-aesthetics-of-thedeep-sea-with-artist-alex-gould

Can we use art to help people engage with the deep sea? We stop trying to explain things and let artist Alex Gould help us see deep-sea animals for the first time all over again.

We talk about the aesthetics of deep-sea fish, is it distorted by our expectations? Can we save the blobfish from bullying? Can art help us with the horror of tongue eating parasites and fish absorbing their boyfriends?

Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.

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

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

Links

Alex Gould’s Website

Anglerfish immune system

Pressure tolerant sea lice

The Ugly Animal Preservation Society

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED

PRESSURISED: 028 – Masters of the sea with Stuart Buckle Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 28. 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/028-being-captain

The Professor is back from his adventures at sea with lots of exciting new updates. He talks us through some of his key findings from this already iconic deep-sea expedition. We also get to hear from an often overlooked figure in these expeditions: the ship's captain. Alan and Captain Stuart Buckle have a shared history of seagoing. Travelling the world together onboard the DSSV Pressure Drop during the Five Deeps expedition and during the Professor's recent venture to the Japanese trenches. Captain Stu talks us through his journey into becoming a captain and how he managed to bag the role of captain during James Cameron's legendary Mariana Trench dive.

We also hear from one of our favourite captains and long-time guest of the show, Don Walsh. Don recalls how he sharpened his skills in ship handling and his methods of teaching these skills to the next generation of sailors.

Deep-sea news is a mixture of policy and goo this month. Deep-sea mining tests get the go-ahead, and Alan and Thom try and figure out what a certain spiky blue goo found at the bottom of the sea might be.

Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.

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

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

Glossary

Benthic - Associated with the seafloor
Captain - The commanding officer of a ship.
Crinoids - Sea lilies are marine animals that are closely related to sea stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins.
Ctenophores - Comb jellies are gelatinous marine invertebrates that use cilia for swimming.
ECDIS - An Electronic Chart Display and Information System shows the navigational charts and information about the position, heading and speed of a vessel.
Knots - The unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. The Deep Sea Challenger ascended at 6 knots or approx 7mph.
Thrusters - The propellers on an underwater vehicle that allow it to move.
ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicles are underwater robots that collect data such as video/images. They are attached to a vessel by an umbilical cord.
Xenophyophore - A unicellular marine organism with lots of nuclei found on abyssal plains.

Links

Vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems get further protection from bottom fishing in EU waters

Deep-sea mining test given green light

UN Ocean Treaty fails to reach an agreement

Unidentified spiky blue goo seen in the deep

Australian fisherman catches kitefin shark

Megamouth shark filmed off the coast of San Diego

230 pilot whales stranded on beach in Tasmania

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED

028 – Masters of the sea with Stuart Buckle Oct 07, 2022

Show notes

The Professor is back from his adventures at sea with lots of exciting new updates. He talks us through some of his key findings from this already iconic deep-sea expedition. We also get to hear from an often overlooked figure in these expeditions: the ship's captain. Alan and Captain Stuart Buckle have a shared history of seagoing. Travelling the world together onboard the DSSV Pressure Drop during the Five Deeps expedition and during the Professor's recent venture to the Japanese trenches. Captain Stu talks us through his journey into becoming a captain and how he managed to bag the role of captain during James Cameron's legendary Mariana Trench dive.

Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.

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

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

Thom - @ThomLinley

Georgia - @geeinthesea

Instagram:

Georgia - @geeinthesea

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

www.armatusoceanic.com

Glossary

Benthic - Associated with the seafloor

Captain - The commanding officer of a ship.

Crinoids - Sea lilies are marine animals that are closely related to sea stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins.

Ctenophores - Comb jellies are gelatinous marine invertebrates that use cilia for swimming.

ECDIS - An Electronic Chart Display and Information System shows the navigational charts and information about the position, heading and speed of a vessel.

Knots - The unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. The Deep Sea Challenger ascended at 6 knots or approx 7mph.

Thrusters - The propellers on an underwater vehicle that allow it to move.

ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicles are underwater robots that collect data such as video/images. They are attached to a vessel by an umbilical cord.

Xenophyophore - A unicellular marine organism with lots of nuclei found on abyssal plains.

Links

Vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems get further protection from bottom fishing in EU waters

Deep-sea mining test given green light

UN Ocean Treaty fails to reach an agreement

Unidentified spiky blue goo seen in the deep

Australian fisherman catches kitefin shark

Megamouth shark filmed off the coast of San Diego

230 pilot whales stranded on beach in Tasmania

Nice Boys (Live) - Guns N’ Roses

Youtube

Spotify

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image

Image courtesy of the DSSV Pressure Drop

The Deco-Stop – 001: Parents at sea with Kat Bolstad, deepest lactating human Oct 01, 2022

Show notes

Here’s our first ever 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.

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/deco-stop-001

In our first ever episode, we talk to Kat Bolstad, the leader of the AUT lab for cephalopod ecology and systematics (ALCES) at Auckland University in New Zealand.

We talk about squid Christmas, chasing the colossal squid, Kat’s career journey and her truly incredible record of being the deepest lactating human (we think). She also tells us how she once made a liar out of Sir David Attenborough. We’re so excited about creating this space to talk more about the human aspects of deep-sea science, and would love to hear from you about your deep-sea journey!

Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.

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

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

Glossary

Architeuthis - The latin name for the giant squid.

Cephalopod - A class of molluscs which contains squids, octopus, nautilus and vampire squid.

Colossal squid - Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, a species of deep-sea squid believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass.

Genetic Taxonomy - The classification and gathering of organisms into groups based on genetic similarity.

Giant squid - A species of gigantic deep sea squid which can grow to 10-12m long at maximum size.

Kondakovia - A species of deep-sea squid, which has now been reclassified as Moroteuthopsis.

Morphological Taxonomy - The classification and gathering of organisms into groups based on morphological similarities (similar physical features).

Moroteuthopsis - A species of deep-sea squid which was previously known as Kondakovia.

Octonauts - A children's TV programme which follows a group of underwater explorers.

Ommastrephes bartramii - The ‘neon flying squid’, a species of squid commonly fished in the North Pacific.

Links

Kat’s Research Lab - AUT Lab for Cephalopod Ecology and Systematics (ALCES)

Website

Twitter

Kat’s appearance in the NHK documentary series: Deep Ocean

S1. E4: Giants of the Antarctic Deep

Kat’s paper on the renaming of Kondakovia to Moroteuthopsis.

Kat’s paper on the distribution and biology of the colossal squid

Kat’s book chapter on The Study of Deep Sea Cephalopods

Kat’s paper on Moroteuthopsis diet—the one that ate a Bathyteuthis

‘Squid cube’

Credits

Theme – Hometime by Harvey Jones

Logo image - The Deco-Stop

PRESSURISED: 002 – Exploring the Mariana Trench with Don Walsh Sep 23, 2022

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 2. 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/002-exploring-the-mariana-trench-guest-don-walsh

In this episode we have an amazing interview with legendary oceanographer, Don Walsh. In 1960, Don and Jacques Piccard were the first people ever to reach the ocean’s deepest point – Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench in the bathyscaphe Trieste. Since then, Don tends to get asked the same questions about the dive but he is full of other stories at least as interesting. Some include getting a tour of the heavens from his old dive buddy Arthur C. Clark, almost joining the Apollo Program and being involved in the first remote sensing of our oceans from space. He is still passionate about science communication and we discuss how important storytelling is when sharing science.

Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.

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

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

Glossary

Apollo programme - A USA space program carried out from 1961 to 1972 by NASA which landed the first astronauts on the Moon
Arthur C. Clarke - An English science-fiction writer, inventor and undersea explorer. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, widely regarded as one of the most influential films of all time.
Bathyscaphe - A bathyscaphe is a self-propelled vehicle used for deep-sea dives.
Challenger Deep - The deepest known point on Earth (10,935m / 35,876 ft deep).
Mariana Trench - The deepest known underwater trench on Earth, located in the Pacific Ocean.

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED

PRESSURISED: 027 – Cave biology with Thomas Iliffe Sep 16, 2022

Show notes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 27. 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/027-caves

With the Professor out at sea, Thom goes off the rails and finally gets his answers on cave biology. What are the similarities and differences between the deep-sea and cave ecosystems? How are they linked? Do we know more about the moon than cave biolo…. just kidding! We speak to the legendary Professor Thomas Iliffe, who has shaped the field of biospeleology (cave biology); discovering over 250 species, and 3 new orders (now you don’t hear that every day)! He talks us through the formation of these habitats, what dive surveys are really like, and how to discover the most fascinating of organisms. We also hear from Martin Pollizotto, a listener (and expert cave diver) on bioluminescence in cave systems (or a lack thereof).

We had a lot of deep-sea news this month! New species are being discovered, Alvin is back in the water breaking previous depth records, we have new tech AND some interstellar news!

Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.

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

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

Glossary

Anchialine - Meaning “near the sea” in Greek, an anchialine pool is a landlocked body of water connected to the ocean via underground caves.
Blind cave fish - fish found living in deep caves with no eyes and usually no pigment.
Cenote - An underground cave system in Mexico.
Epigenetics - the study of how your behaviours and environment can affect the way your genes work.
Halocline - A vertical zone in the water column where the salinity changes rapidly from less saline to more saline (in caves this means the more dense salt water sits below the less dense fresher water).
Hermaphroditic - Possessing both male and female reproductive organs.
Order - (taxonomy) a way of giving organising species with other closely related species.
Remipede - A class of blind crustaceans found in marine caves.
Yucatan – A region of Mexico famous for its cenotes.

Links Tom’s work in TV

Netflix Alien Worlds, Episode 1 (Atlas)

National Geographic Drain the Bermuda Triangle (starting @ 19:40)

Christmas Island Cave Diving Expedition

Tom’s Published Research

Bermuda’s Walsingham Caves: A Global Hotspot for Anchialine Stygobionts, Diversity 13 (8), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13080352

Monsters in the dark: systematics and biogeography of the stygobitic genus Godzillius (Crustacea: Remipedia) from the Lucayan Archipelago, European Journal of Taxonomy, 751(1), 115-139; https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.751.1383

Anchialine biodiversity in the Turks and Caicos Islands: New discoveries and current faunal composition, International Journal of Speleology, 49(2):71-86; https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ijs/vol49/iss2/1/

Development of anchialine cave habitats and karst subterranean estuaries since the last ice age, Scientific Reports 9:11907; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-48058-8

California Dreamin’ - The Mamas & The Papas

Youtube

Spotify

Calcified deep sea infauna can be imaged with 3D acoustic coring system

It turns out sponges sneeze!

New species of deep sea isopod discovered

Paper

Researchers discover up to 39 new species

Paper

Equipment rescue reveals the biggest avalanche ever recorded on earth.

Alvin is back in the water after its refit

New area of hydrothermal vents found off of the coast of mexico

Scientists start the search for an interstellar meteor at the bottom of the ocean

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED

027 – Cave biology with Thomas Iliffe Sep 03, 2022

Show notes

Full episode notes

We had a lot of deep-sea news this month! New species are being discovered, Alvin is back in the water breaking previous depth records, we have new tech AND some interstellar news!

We announce yet another exciting spin-off, The Deco-Stop, where we plan on chatting to guests about the more human side of science. We heard from listeners that they are fascinated by scientists as people and the stories they have to tell, so we’re excited to open up the space to talk about scientists as individuals, and the topics where science interacts with human issues.

Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.

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

podcast@armatusoceanic.com

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

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

www.armatusoceanic.com

Glossary

Anchialine - Meaning “near the sea” in Greek, an anchialine pool is a landlocked body of water connected to the ocean via underground caves.
Blind cave fish - fish found living in deep caves with no eyes and usually no pigment.
Cenote - An underground cave system in Mexico.
Epigenetics - the study of how your behaviours and environment can affect the way your genes work.
Halocline - A vertical zone in the water column where the salinity changes rapidly from less saline to more saline (in caves this means the more dense salt water sits below the less dense fresher water).
Hermaphroditic - Possessing both male and female reproductive organs.
Order - (taxonomy) a way of giving organising species with other closely related species.
Remipede - A class of blind crustaceans found in marine caves.
Yucatan – A region of Mexico famous for its cenotes.

Links Tom’s work in TV

Netflix Alien Worlds, Episode 1 (Atlas)

National Geographic Drain the Bermuda Triangle (starting @ 19:40)

Christmas Island Cave Diving Expedition

Tom’s Published Research

Bermuda’s Walsingham Caves: A Global Hotspot for Anchialine Stygobionts, Diversity 13 (8), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13080352