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This month is a fun one (maybe not if you love cetaceans) as we’re covering whale falls! That’s right, dead whales and the ecosystems they create on the seafloor. Professor Craig smith joins us to talk all about the stages of decomposition, the key species that whale falls support, and some truly wild tales from the high seas.
We finally answer the big question, what smells worse: a dead whale or a dead deep-sea sponge? The answer might not be what you expect. We also hear from a couple friends of the show, including Shelly Raiden, who may have found one of the earliest comparisons of the moon and the deep sea, and Otis Brunner, who talks us through his research on the back of our last episode on hydrothermal vents.
Image credit - Craig Smith
In other news, consuming deep-sea water lowers cholesterol (this one is definitely, absolutely, 100% true), there’s a new deep-sea documentary premiering at Sundance and we made our first 30p (and a pint)! This newfound success has pushed us to release another Deco-Stop episode on neurodiversity in science coming to you next month!
Image credit - Craig Smith
Image credit - Craig Smith
DID YOU KNOW WE SELL MERCH?
We have huge news! You’ll be very excited to hear that we have released a new design for our merch, featuring our favourite parasite - the tongue-eating isopod, Cymothoa exigua!
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:
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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:
Links
Craig's article on whale fall ecology (2003)
Another company that's selling deep-sea water as a cure
‘Rare’ deep-sea fish turns out to not be rare at all
A news article and published paper on how glass sponges could provide treatment against Covid-19
A new deep-sea video game has just been released called “Surviving the Abyss”
We released a piece in The Conversation on the Moon Analogy
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - New York Percussion Trio
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image
Image courtesy of NOAA
Glossary
Blubber - The fat of sea mammals.
Cadaverine - A compound formed in the decay of animal proteins after death.
Cetacean - The scientific name for whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Chemoautotrophic - Obtains energy through chemical reactions rather than light.
Hagfish - Eel-shaped, slime-producing fish.
Hydroxyapatite - A mineral which makes up whale bones.
Osedax - A family of “bone-eating” worms which are found feasting on whale bones.
Putracene - A compound formed in the decay of animal proteins after death.
Purse seine netting - A vertical net ‘curtain’ which can be drawn together to enclose the whale.
Sleeper sharks - Family: Somniosidae. Slow-moving sharks which can be seen feeding on whale falls.
Stoneley waves - a boundary wave (or interface wave) that typically propagates along a solid-solid interface.