The Deep-Sea Podcast

010 - Here be monsters with Tyler Greenfield

Tales of monsters persist to this day and there’s no better place to hide them than in the deep sea. We are joined by paleontology student and cryptozoology blogger Tyler Greenfield to look at some of the most famous sea monsters and see if there is any truth to the stories. We discuss megalodon, globsters, plesiosaurs/Nessie and all manner of strange carcasses that wash up from time to time.
We have a good hard listen to The Bloop and I call upon an expert in the undersea calls of marine animals, Nicky Harris. She also has a tale from the high seas for us… a rather grizzly bit of nature in action. People in the front row will get wet.
Also in this episode, we talk about glowing sharks, the largest bioluminescent vertebrate. Soft robotics to the planets deepest places and Alan picks a fight with a polar bear, taking on The Octonauts’ very own Captain Barnacles.
Finally, we hear from Don Walsh, who shares some ocean myths that went on to have a grain of truth.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
 
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
www.armatusoceanic.com
 
Links
Bioluminescence of the Largest Luminous Vertebrate, the Kitefin Shark, Dalatias licha: First Insights and Comparative Aspects
Self-powered soft robot in the Mariana Trench
10 Bizarre Deep Sea Creatures (treehugger.com)
Tyler’s fantastic blog
Tyler’s cryptozoology paper archive
A link to Beebe’s book, Half A Mile Down
You can find Tyler on Twitter @TylerGreenfieId
Papers on Helicoprion
Jaws for a spiral-tooth whorl: CT images reveal novel adaptation and phylogeny in fossil Helicoprion
Eating with a saw for a jaw: Functional morphology of the jaws and tooth-whorl in Helicoprion davisii
On the Giant Octopus (Octopus giganteus) and the Bermuda Blob: Homage to A. E. Verrill
How to tell a sea monster: molecular discrimination of large marine animals of the North Atlantic
NOAA’s response to the Mermaids: A body found
Fish tales: Combating fake science in popular media
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel (http://marvel.nu/)
Additional music - Lost In The Forest - Doug Maxwell, Media Right Productions
 

009 – Geology with Heather Stewart

We are both biologists and a little bias toward the deep-sea critters, but the deep ocean contains a wealth of geological discoveries, after all, it is the geology which creates the deep sea.
We catch up the latest news, including life discovered 100s of km under the ice, slowing water currents, vampire squid history and the rules of naming something new, be it a species or an undersea feature.
We then have a chat with geologist and explorer (and friend of the show) Heather Stewart about the geology of the deep sea and how we produce maps of the ocean floor. Why do people talk about how little of the ocean has been mapped when we can clearly see it is all mapped on google earth?
What about some of the more unusual features that we see on the deep seabed in Google Earth, are those roads and pyramids? I have a chat with ‘my mate Dave™’, David Howell, about marine archaeology and looking for sunken human settlements.
Finally, we hear from Don Walsh, who recollects the time he used the bathyscaph Trieste to deploy devices to listen out for nuclear tests.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
 
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
www.armatusoceanic.com
 
Links
Life under the ice
 
Gulf Stream weakening
 
Fossil evidence of vampire squid
 
Plastic waste as biodiversity hotspots
 
New species without holotype (of the many papers you can read on this):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5672740/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.620702/full
 
A proposal for modesty
 
Here is a great tool where you can see the direct and satellite global data
 
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

008 - Technology with James Cameron

Working in the deep sea is entirely dependent on technology and the incredible forces push engineering to its limit. If you are doing something that no one has done before, chances are you are going to have to make some of your own tools. Unfortunately, we must spend a lot more on our equipment for the same data as shallower science. This makes funding difficult but also makes the deep sea quite an exclusive club.
We are joined by James Cameron (yes, that one) to talk about solving the problems of working deep with new technology. He shares how he went about illuminating the Titanic and confesses that his films are often an outlet for the technology he wishes he could build. Some of the concepts coming in Avatar 2 are an example of this. Don Walsh joins us as ever to give his take on the importance of the engineering that allows us to do the things we do.
In recent news, we have a new deep-sea fish, and it’s a beast with a very cool name. In honour of the Valentine’s day we talk about love in the deep sea with some different reproductive strategies. We take some listener questions and it Tails from the High Seas my old colleague Izzy talks about a wild storm and getting superstitious with your equipment.
 
Links
New giant slickhead
Vampire squid reproduction
Rattails spawning
The Crabsuit
 
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

007 - Human impact with Albert II, Prince of Monaco

We impact the deep sea in many ways we don’t realise. Some are deliberate, some are accidental, some we didn’t even notice at the time. We talk about ways we have impacted the deep sea and touch on the huge problem that is marine plastic, a particular problem in the isolated Mediterranean Sea. His serene highness Prince Albert II of Monaco tells us about his experience diving to the deepest point in the Mediterranean, the Calypso Deep (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calypso_Deep) and his Beyond Plastic Med
(https://www.beyondplasticmed.org/en/) initiative.
To solve these problems sometimes we have to ask ourselves difficult questions. There often isn’t right and wrong but shades of grey and nothing is ever as simple as it seems. How much of the deep sea would you sacrifice if it solved climate change? This may not be as hypothetical as it sounds.
You can submit your own ‘tails from the high seas’ about an experience you have had offshore or pose us a question/comment on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
 
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel (http://marvel.nu/)
 
Links
Mercury paper:
https://www.pnas.org/content/117/47/29292
Sam’s work and his podcast:
https://www.samillingworth.com/
Eurythenes plasticus video:
https://youtu.be/phAFW05eKI8
Eurythenes plasticus educational resources:
https://www.plasticus.school/en/
2020 Grand Prix for Good:
https://www2.eurobest.com/winners/2020/gp4g/
Carbon storage paper:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610217318878
Mesozoic Ocean:
https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/11283/paleo_TAKASHIMA_et_al-2006.pdf
Deep-Sea observatories:
http://www.poseidon.hcmr.gr/eurosites/about.php
Deep Mediterranean paper:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-018-3413-0
Beyond Plastic Med:
https://www.beyondplasticmed.org/en/

Bonus episode – The Christmas Party

It’s the holidays so we decided to get together, have a few drinks and tell some stories from life at sea. We even get Märvel – the barons of high-energy rock and roll on the line for a festive chat.
 
This is a silly/gross episode, even by our standards. There are stories of seasickness and competitive food fungus… you have been warned.
 
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
 
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel (http://marvel.nu/)

006 -Deep-sea mining special

Our world is rapidly changing. As we move away from fossil fuels and our use of electronics increases, demand is climbing for a handful of metals key to the manufacture of modern technology. Mining the deep sea may meet these demands but is probably the most contentious issue the community is facing right now. Is there a net benefit for the deep sea; funding research and understanding, addressing climate change, and encouraging developing nations? Or is the deep sea too fragile and too unknown to be responsibly exploited?
We bite off far more than we can chew by taking on this issue in a deep-sea mining special episode. Luckily, we have some guests we can call on to help us understand the issue. Professor Jeffrey Drazen of University of Hawai`i at Manoa explains just what deep-sea mining is and its ecological impacts. We then speak with Michael Lodge, secretary-general of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The ISA, comprised of 167 member states and the European Union, regulates and controls all mineral-related activities in the open ocean – that’s the majority of the planet!
We also have current news and a chat with Don Walsh, who of course it turns out, has first-hand experience with the complexities of mining in the ocean.
 
You can submit your own ‘tails from the high seas’ about an experience you have had offshore or pose us a question on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
 
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel (http://marvel.nu/)
 
Links
ECO Magazine Deep-Sea Heroes: http://digital.ecomagazine.com/publication/?i=683954&ver=html5&p=22
Scary bigfin squid video: https://youtu.be/L8xXnVkOGsA
Bigfin squid paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0241066
Eel swarm: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967063720302107
ISA website: https://www.isa.org.jm/
DeepData: https://www.isa.org.jm/deepdata
UNESCO report: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1535/
#deepseamining #deepsea #mining #ManganeseNodules #manganese #PolymetallicNodules #Polymetallic #ISA #InternationalSeabedAuthority #MichaelLodge #LawOfTheSea #HighSea #InternationalLaw #conservation #EnvironmentalImpact #seamount #HydrothermalVent #ProtectedArea #ProtectedHabitat  

005 - Storytelling with author Susan Casey

In this episode we explore the power of storytelling and complete the arc of our first five episodes: science communication and perception of the deep sea.
We talk with multiple New York Times bestseller Susan Casey (https://susancasey.com/) about telling a good story and engaging people with a narrative, while still being scientifically accurate. Don Walsh (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Walsh) is kind enough to record his thoughts on the importance of good storytellers, which of course also contains a story we never knew about Don.
 
Storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool, but it can be a difficult one to wield. Alan talks of some experiences where the public perception of a story was not what was expected but also the risk of not telling the story at all and of assumptions being made.
 
We have our regular returning segments: Recent news, which seems very squiddy this episode; tails from the high seas, where Alan is imprisoned in a seaman’s mission; and Thom tries out a new segment about the history of some deep-sea animal names.
 
You can submit your own ‘tails from the high seas’ about an experience you have had offshore or pose us a question on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
 
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel (http://marvel.nu/)
 
Links
The description of the roundnose grenadier from 1765: https://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/DKNVS_skrifter/article/download/710/642
An image of the Grenadier cap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prussian_Grenadier_Cap.jpg
An image of the grenadier fish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyssal_grenadier#/media/File:Coryphaenoides_armatus.jpg
Frankie Fulleda’s podcast, Hard Candy & Fruit Snacks: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-candy-fruit-snacks/id1532914761

004 - Fear of the deep sea with Glenn Singleman

It’s the October episode and that means it’s our Halloween Spooktacular, what better time to turn the spotlight on ourselves and wonder why humanity seems to have an intrinsic fear of the deep sea. Glenn Singleman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Singleman) joins us to give a psychological explanation for why we feel differently about the deep sea and seem to have an aversion to it. Even some of the best documentaries seem to change their wording when talking about the deep sea.
We give Don a quick call to get his thoughts on fear, as that’s something he’s always asked when talking about the first dive to the deepest point. Finally, we have a Tails from the High Seas from Heather Stewart who, after running from some bad weather, found herself in the middle of a military exercise.
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel (http://marvel.nu/)
Additional music by Harvey Jones (http://www.harvjones.com/)
Links
Blackest black: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28363-super-dark-chameleon-material-shifts-colour-to-boost-solar-power/
Guinness Book of World Records
Deepest fish: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/deepest-fish
Deepest octopus: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/83167-deepest-octopus
Deepest eel: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/626705-deepest-eel
Deepest decapod: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/626036-deepest-decapod
First new species contaminated with plastic: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/626040-first-new-species-contaminated-with-plastic
Thanks to the people who recorded monsters in their native tongue:
Rusalka (Slavic) - Christina Nikolova
Afanc (Welsh) - Thomas Hughes
Iku-Turso (Finnish) - Anni Mäkelä
Kappa (Japan) - Kazumasa Oguri
Uile-Bheist Doimhneachd na Mara (Scottish Gaelic) - Andrew Henderson
Cetus, Charybdis, Scylla and Hydra (Greek) - Georgios Kazanidis

003 - Aesthetics of the deep 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 (alexandragould.co.uk) help us see deep-sea animals for the first time all over again.
We talk about the aesthetic of deep-sea fish, is it shaped 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?
Sponsor Armatus Oceanic

002 - Exploring the Mariana Trench. Guest: Don Walsh

On January 23, 1960 Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard were the first people to dive to the deepest point in the ocean, Challenger Deep. Would you believe that Don's full of other stories at least as interesting as that?
We talk science communication and exploration with Don, realise that actually we do know a lot about the Mariana Trench, and we cross the equator.
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
Music by Harvey Jones

001 - The moon analogy. Guest: Monty Priede

 ‘We know more about the moon than the deep sea’ isn't just a bad analogy, it’s wrong. We talk scientific writing and Alan confesses why, after becoming the world’s deepest Brit, he was hunched emerging from the sub.
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
Absence of sharks
Music Harvey Jones

Hello and welcome!

Just a quick hello to introduce the podcast (and check I know how to do this). Official episode 1 coming soon.
 
Dr Thom
https://twitter.com/AllLittleFishes