1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,840 Speaker 1: My welcome Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hey, welcome to Stuff 3 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: to Blow your Mind. My name is Robert Lamb and 4 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: I'm Joe McCormick, and today we've got to treat for you. 5 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: It's a conversation with Dr Diva aim On. That's right. 6 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,279 Speaker 1: This is a wonderful chat where we're gonna talk about 7 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: about deep sea exploration. What is it like to explore 8 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: the deep ocean from someone who's been there, um, and 9 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: then what sorts of organisms and ecosystems are we learning about, 10 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 1: How much do we not know about the deep ocean? 11 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:38,559 Speaker 1: And what are some of the biggest threats facing the 12 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,639 Speaker 1: deep ocean. Yeah, so this was a fascinating conversation. Obviously, 13 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: if you want a little bit of background, we've done 14 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: some episodes about the deep sea in the past. We'll 15 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: link to a few of those on the landing page 16 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:50,480 Speaker 1: for this episode. I think we've done quite a few. 17 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: Within just the past six months or so, we've had 18 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: deep sea on the brain. Yeah. But the short version 19 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: is that the the ocean is deep. Uh. Is it 20 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: so deep that the pres sure down there is in 21 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: kins the darkness is absolute and yet even in this 22 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: cold and it's cold and even but even in these uh, 23 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 1: this environment that is so hostile to human life, uh, 24 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: there is a great abundance of marine life to be 25 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: found there and gorgeously strange and diverse habitats and ecosystems arise. 26 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,759 Speaker 1: That's right. So without further ado, let's jump into the interview. Alright, Diva, 27 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:27,839 Speaker 1: thank you so much for joining us. Can you tell 28 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: our listeners a little bit about yourself? So my name 29 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: is Dr Diva Ahman. I'm a deep se biologist who's 30 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, but I'm 31 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: currently based at the Natural History Museum in London, in England. 32 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: And what do you do there? Um, Well, it really 33 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: varies day to day, um quite a lot. So probably 34 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: the best part of my job is actually going out 35 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: to see on what we call research cruises. Then nothing 36 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: like the cruises that most people think about. Um, they 37 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: don't involve you know, elderly individuals or all you can 38 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: eat buffase definitely not um. And yeah, that most of 39 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: all I do centers around that field work, which can 40 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: be for about you know, one to three months of 41 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: the year, um. Usually broken up into four to five 42 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: week periods, and when we're on that ship, we basically 43 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: explore parts of the deep sea that most people haven't 44 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: ever been to, that sometimes no one has ever been to, 45 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: and we collect samples of um animals, of the geology, 46 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: the rocks, and so on, water samples, and that allows 47 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: us to get a better understanding for that area of 48 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: the ocean. And then once the next the research crew 49 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: story is done, we bring everything back to the lab 50 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: and there we work on those samples for usually the 51 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: remainder of the year, and that involves doing, depending on 52 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: what questions we're asking, a variety of analysis. And then 53 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: I also do a lot of science communication because I 54 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: think it's super fun and super important and um that's 55 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: not just to the public, but also to policymakers to 56 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: try and make sure our oceans and managed in a 57 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: more a man in a more um sustainable and effective way. Yeah, 58 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: it's great. I love what I do. Oh, it sounds amazing. 59 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: So you talked about how science communication is a part 60 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: of your job. If you could isolate, you know, like 61 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 1: one thing that you really wish everyone could understand about 62 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: the oceans or the deep sea that not enough people 63 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: have grasped. But what do you think that messages Oh wow, UM, 64 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: perhaps the let me think about this one. Didn't mean 65 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: to put your on spots. No, no, no, it's great, 66 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,119 Speaker 1: it's a great question. UM. I think it would probably 67 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: be two things. The unknown nature. You know, most people 68 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: never even think about the deepotion. It's completely out of sight, 69 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: out of mind, and that unfortunately has a lot of 70 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: implications for UM it's management and how we treat it. UM. 71 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: And while it may seem very out of sight and 72 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: out of mind, it actually is not out of our grasp. UM. 73 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: On every research cruise that we go on, we see 74 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: our impacts in the deep sea. And so it would 75 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:17,559 Speaker 1: probably be to you know, have a home that even 76 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:21,039 Speaker 1: though it's this place that most people never go to, 77 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: that most people will never get the opportunity to experience, 78 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: you know, we're still having a very very real impact 79 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 1: in this place that also is really really important to 80 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: us being here on the planet. And do changes in 81 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,840 Speaker 1: the deep ocean and the deep sea, do we see 82 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 1: those having consequences that cascade out to you know, parts 83 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: of ecology in the world that we do interact with more. Yeah. Absolutely, So. Again, 84 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: not a lot of people realize that, you know, everything 85 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: is connected, and the deep otion is at the largest 86 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: ecosystem on the planet. You know, it occupies about sixty 87 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:00,600 Speaker 1: of the planet's surface and provides over nineties ex percent 88 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:04,359 Speaker 1: of all the habitable space on Earth. And so, I 89 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: mean this is really a huge area. And because of 90 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: that huge size, it has a really really big responsibility. 91 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: It plays a role in these global processes that really 92 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: regulate our planets, so things like regulating temperature. It absorbs 93 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 1: the majority I think it's absorbed about nine six percent 94 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: of heat from our atmosphere so far, as well as 95 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: a twentysomething percent I don't know the exact figure offhand 96 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 1: of carbon dioxide emissions, and so, you know, regulating the 97 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: world's climate, which we all know is getting more and 98 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: more important. It also cycles nutrients. It also detoxifies the 99 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: shallow parts of our planet um and it provides us 100 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: with you know, a range of resources which a lot 101 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,840 Speaker 1: of people don't actually realize as well, things like food, 102 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: things like oil and gas in the future, potentially medicine, 103 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,599 Speaker 1: and potentially metals. And there is of course this like 104 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: really inherent cultural value as well. You know, we see 105 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 1: the deep ocean and so many movies and so many books, 106 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: and that that ability to inspire is really something that 107 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,600 Speaker 1: we shouldn't underestimate at all. So can you tell us 108 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: just a little bit about growing up in the Caribbean 109 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: and how you know how that it may have inspired 110 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 1: your interest in marine biology, but then also how you 111 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: ended up focusing on the deep sure without trying or 112 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: probably sound quite cheesy. Um. So I grew up in 113 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 1: the Caribbean, on the island, on the islands of Trinan, Tobago, 114 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:35,480 Speaker 1: and I mean about thirty years ago. There wasn't that 115 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,920 Speaker 1: much to do the back then, and so it meant 116 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: that I spent a lot of time outside um in 117 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: the garden, on the beach, in the ocean, and it 118 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: just gradually led to this real passion um for the 119 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:51,480 Speaker 1: ocean and for the things that lived there. And there 120 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: were a lot of things that I really didn't understand 121 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: or didn't know about the sea and what lived in it, 122 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: and that really sort of propelled me to decide to 123 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:04,719 Speaker 1: study University UM marine science. And funnily enough, I actually 124 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: wanted to do medicine UM and my parents were like, no, no, no, Um, 125 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: why don't you do something that you think you you know, 126 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: really will absolutely love, which again I'm very very grateful 127 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: for UM. And yeah, I decided to go and study 128 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: marine biology, and as I said, most people don't think 129 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: about the deep sea. When I went to do my 130 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: undergraduate degree, I knew very little apart from perhaps like 131 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: one or two animal books where there were pictures of 132 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: hatchet fish and you know, giant squid and other things. 133 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: But it just really wasn't It just didn't play a 134 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: big rule despite having grown up by the ocean and UM, 135 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: it wasn't until my final year really that everything sort 136 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 1: of fell into place where I took a deep sea 137 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: biology course and the lecturer was saying that, you know, 138 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: over of our deep ocean hasn't yet been explored, and 139 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: by explored, I mean visualized, like it hasn't been seen 140 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: with human eyes, or it hasn't been seen with a 141 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: camera that takes photos or images. And that just is 142 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:17,240 Speaker 1: such a staggering figure considering we're talking about our own planet. 143 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 1: It really hit home that, you know, you to be 144 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: to be working in deep sea science, you get the 145 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: opportunity to be a real life explorer. And I think 146 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:33,320 Speaker 1: is children everybody goes through a period of wanting to 147 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: do that, And yes, as I said earlier, I just 148 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: absolutely love what I do, and that's when I decided, hey, 149 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,319 Speaker 1: I'm going to give us a shot, and since then 150 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,480 Speaker 1: no regrets. Do you think you could sort of place 151 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: our current understanding of deep sea ecosystems and a little 152 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:51,080 Speaker 1: bit of historical context like where do we come from 153 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: and where are we today in our understanding of these ecosystems? 154 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: So while it may sound abysmal, I mean the deepotion 155 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: never having been explored, um, it is better than it's 156 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: ever been. Right, our knowledge has increased to a point 157 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:11,839 Speaker 1: in history, UM where we are able to make better 158 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 1: decisions than we ever have been. But it's still really 159 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: this sort of drop in the bucket, you know. True 160 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: deep seat exploration started I think in the sort of 161 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,440 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds UM. One of the biggest, one of the 162 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: most important expeditions, UM was the Challenger expedition, and that 163 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 1: went around the world really making the first concertive effort 164 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: to sample as much as they could in the deep sea. 165 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: But of course back then it was mostly you know, 166 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:39,560 Speaker 1: a troll you throw off the back of the boat 167 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: and just sort of drag up whatever you can, whereas 168 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:47,440 Speaker 1: now where the equipment that's being used is so high 169 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: tech and as a result expensive, which of course is 170 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,320 Speaker 1: a very very big limitation, but it means that, yes, 171 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: I said, our knowledge is increasing. We're able to explore 172 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 1: these places that no one has ever been an incredible 173 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: really find detail and answer questions which have plagued us 174 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: for centuries um And unfortunately, still while that is great 175 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: and exciting, we still have a huge way to go 176 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: in order to be able to truly, you know, understand 177 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: our planet as best we can. Now. When when one 178 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: goes to your website diva aman dot com, it's done. 179 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: You know, you get a snapshot of all these different 180 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: expeditions that you've been a part of. But can you 181 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:38,400 Speaker 1: explain to our listeners, like what what are the tools 182 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: of exploration that are generally involved in one of these expeditions? Yeah? So, 183 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 1: I mean the first one is you need a ship. 184 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:52,080 Speaker 1: Not about a ship because usually you're going pretty far 185 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 1: away from land, and you're going out there for weeks 186 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: and you're never going to see a lot of time, 187 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: you never see land during that read um, and so 188 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: means your ship has to have everything you could possibly 189 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: need on it, you know, all the food provisions, that 190 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: you would need for that time, people to cook it, 191 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:13,079 Speaker 1: people to drive, people to operate all the equipment science 192 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:17,599 Speaker 1: and um, yeah, usually it's about fifty people or so 193 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:23,280 Speaker 1: on one of these ships, and that's sort of the platform, 194 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: right that then everything else operates off of. And so now, yes, 195 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: we still use those more rudimentary pieces of equipment like 196 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: trolls which you throw off back steps, see what it gets. 197 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: It's not necessarily the best piece of equipment to use. 198 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: But but now there's also you know, other things like grabs. 199 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: You can lower down pieces of equipment like grabs and 200 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: cares that bring up you know, perfectly preserved areas of 201 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: a sleep full like one M by one m squared, 202 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: so that you can really get some good quantitative um numbers. 203 00:11:57,480 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: But then, I mean, but then you've got the really 204 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: excit eating equipment. And I know a lot of deep 205 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,080 Speaker 1: se scientists thing to this will will curse me for 206 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 1: saying that. But I mean the things that get me 207 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: excited because I work on usually the really big animals, 208 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 1: animals you can see in images and animals you can 209 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: see in videos. And to do that we tend to 210 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:18,959 Speaker 1: use what I think is is a lot of the 211 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: sexy stuff. So that'll be things like UM remotely operated vehicles, 212 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,319 Speaker 1: which can be about the size of a car, and 213 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: they're basically our eyes and our ears on the sea floor, 214 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 1: on our hands on the sea floor. They are attached 215 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:37,720 Speaker 1: to the ship by a tether and they are able 216 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:40,959 Speaker 1: to go down I think the deepest currently for an 217 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:44,640 Speaker 1: RV is six I'm not sure what other is in 218 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 1: feet or miles and um and they go down there 219 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,560 Speaker 1: with lights, with baskets to put samples, with cameras with 220 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: a range of sensors on them, and they essentially do 221 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,560 Speaker 1: our dirty work for us, because we can't actually just 222 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,600 Speaker 1: you know, scuba dive down there given the extreme conditions. 223 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 1: But then there are also things like autonomous underwater vehicles 224 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: or a u v s, which are not attached to 225 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: the ship. They can be programmed to, for instance, run 226 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:16,479 Speaker 1: a grid of UM imaging, so it takes take snapshots 227 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 1: in a really detailed grid, and they'll go off and 228 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: do it and then when they finished, they'll pop back 229 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:23,199 Speaker 1: to the surface and we go by and we pick 230 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 1: them up, and they can do that for days, if 231 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:28,319 Speaker 1: not weak sometimes. So again the technology is just has 232 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,600 Speaker 1: increased to this incredible level but of course, you know, 233 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:37,160 Speaker 1: the Creme della creme is really the submersibles, and that's 234 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:41,400 Speaker 1: you know, one of most people's favorites because you actually 235 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 1: get to go down in those um usually they hold 236 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: between two and three people and they are very small 237 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 1: and uncomfortable, but they are your chariot down into this 238 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:59,680 Speaker 1: world that few people get to go to. And yeah, 239 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:03,439 Speaker 1: it's just to completely wild experience. And those also are 240 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: not attached to the ship, and they'll have, like the RVs, 241 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,679 Speaker 1: a range of equipment on them, senses, baskets to put samples, 242 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: video cameras and images. But there you get the added 243 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 1: advantage of having or disadvantage whichever where you want to 244 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 1: look at, of having humans down there to actually you know, 245 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: make firsthand observations. I was just thinking about the role 246 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:30,280 Speaker 1: of visual identification in in the kind of work you do. 247 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: I mean, what's it. Uh, could you talk a little 248 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 1: bit about what you know, that necessity of looking at 249 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,400 Speaker 1: this strange world and being able to understand what you're 250 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: looking at sometimes from maybe poor visual data. Yeah, so 251 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: that's a big thing, and actually that has a lot. 252 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 1: It's a really big issue now because of course our 253 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: technology is increasing when leaps and bounds, and it means 254 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: that often because of those changes in UM, for instance, 255 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 1: photo resolution, you know, a out of imagery isn't actually 256 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: comparable on a scientific or statistical level anymore. So that 257 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: of course has its own problems UM. But with that said, 258 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: you know, it really is the level of equipment now 259 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:17,760 Speaker 1: and that level of imagery is really giving us a 260 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: completely new way of looking at these environments. Like right 261 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 1: now you can do, for instance, three de mosaic ing 262 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: of hydrothermal events so that you can zoom in because 263 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: it's such high resolution and see you know, individuals sent 264 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 1: to me to size animals on this absolutely massive structure 265 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: UM and it's just yeah, revolutionizing the way that that 266 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:48,080 Speaker 1: we understand the deepotion. What was the question again, I'm sorry, 267 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 1: maybe it wasn't a good question. I went off from 268 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: tangent and then I was like, wait, what, Well, actually 269 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: I'm more interested in that you just mentioned being able 270 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 1: to image hydrothermal vents, and I'm wondering if maybe you 271 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: could sort of paint a picture for us of some 272 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 1: of these major types of undersea ecosystems and habitats before 273 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: we get onto that. Can I put in one more 274 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: point for the other question. Absolutely, sorry, um so, I 275 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:16,360 Speaker 1: was gonna say that, you know, while imagery is great 276 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 1: for deep sea biologists if you want to really characterize 277 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 1: an animal and fully understand, you know, if it's new 278 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: for instance, or or really what it is you unfortunately 279 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 1: images will only take you so far. It's really important 280 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: that you get a sample. Um you're unable to you know, 281 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: identify a new species given a name, go through that 282 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: process without having something in hand. And that's because there 283 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: are lots of animals that look very similar, um, superficially 284 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 1: from the outside, but actually you need to have either 285 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: really really fine detail of like how many hairs there 286 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: are on the fourth leg of this crab, for instance, 287 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: or that the DNA. They can look identical to us, 288 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: but their DNA is actually really really different. So images 289 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 1: really do only take you so far, and they're just 290 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 1: sort of one piece of that puzzle of understanding the 291 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,639 Speaker 1: deep otion. I guess sorry, we could do the other 292 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:20,640 Speaker 1: question now, that's great. Uh So, yeah, we're asking about 293 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:25,120 Speaker 1: hydrothermal vince and other deep sea habitats, like can can 294 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 1: you sort of describe these and talk about the different 295 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:30,520 Speaker 1: roles these habitats play when most people think of the 296 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: deep ocean, they just tend to think of this, you know, abyss, 297 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 1: it's dark, it's cold, and freeway on the planet. And 298 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:44,880 Speaker 1: actually that's really really far from the truth. Just like 299 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:49,440 Speaker 1: on land, there are a variety of habitats in our 300 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 1: deep seas. There are mountains, there are planes, there are trenches, 301 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 1: there are fields of corals and sponges, there are um, 302 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: even lakes at the bottom of the of the deep ocean. 303 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 1: I mean, it is just essentially like being on land, 304 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 1: where you just get a huge range um. And that 305 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 1: means that you know, with each of those habitats, you 306 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: get a not a completely different but usually a very 307 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: different fauna, so different communities live there. Um. And that 308 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: leads to the deep ocean having really really high diversity, 309 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: which yeah, not a lot of people realize. UM. And 310 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 1: some of them, I mean, they're all amazing, and so 311 00:18:31,359 --> 00:18:38,439 Speaker 1: many of them are so visually stunning. UM. But of 312 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 1: course I guess I have favorite some biased um, and 313 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 1: so those will be thing. Actually, I don't know, they're 314 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: all amazing, they're actual I'll take that back. I don't 315 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:52,719 Speaker 1: have favorites. They're all actually they're all great. But I 316 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 1: mean Some of the ones that sort of jump out 317 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,800 Speaker 1: are Brian pools because I mean who knew lakes at 318 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: the bottom of the sea. Hydrothermal vents, which are these 319 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:09,680 Speaker 1: um sort of underwater volcanoes that gush this superheated black 320 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: fluid that looks like thick, thick, thick smoke and usually 321 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: has huge amounts of life living around them. You get 322 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,280 Speaker 1: whale falls. So when a whale dies, yes, sometimes it 323 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:21,439 Speaker 1: washes ashore, but a lot of the time will end 324 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 1: it down in the deep sea where it will prompt 325 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:29,240 Speaker 1: this feeding bonanza. UM. On these seamounts you tend to 326 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:34,160 Speaker 1: get like essentially the rainforests of the oceans. UM, they 327 00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 1: can have these sponge and coral gardens that act as 328 00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:43,879 Speaker 1: trees almost and they provide cons like trees doing rainforests 329 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:48,439 Speaker 1: for a huge variety of animals. And some of these environments, 330 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 1: you know, the animals are incredibly old. We're now beginning 331 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,240 Speaker 1: to understand in the deep sea. So for instance, there 332 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: have been corals and the devotion found to be well 333 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:03,239 Speaker 1: over four thousand years old, So that's like around the 334 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 1: time the wheel was invented. So there's one, you know, 335 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:09,439 Speaker 1: there's there's probably more than one, but we know for 336 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:12,159 Speaker 1: sure there's a species of animal that can live for 337 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 1: that long. I mean that just blows my mind, right, Um, 338 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: and yeah, it's just there's just huge variety and all 339 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: of the animals down there are just so weird but 340 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 1: so wonderful. It's just it's it's just fascinating, you know. 341 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 1: I know, you couldn't pick a favorite habitat. Do you 342 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,560 Speaker 1: have personal favorite deep sea animals the ones that just 343 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 1: light you up the most? I mean, so in terms 344 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: of habitats, definitely, Brian pools are amazing. Brian pools are 345 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: three to eight times It's where basically water seawater that's 346 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:48,639 Speaker 1: three to eight times saltier than the surrounding seawater settles 347 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 1: because of that density and essentially forms a lake on 348 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:58,760 Speaker 1: the sea floor. And interestingly, you get these muscles and 349 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: other animals forming like a seashore around that that very 350 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: um salty water that's sitting on the sea floor. So 351 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: that's amazing. Um. Hydrothermal vents are amazing. Well, wheel folds 352 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 1: are amazing. I mean, we cover the habitats already, but 353 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:15,760 Speaker 1: in terms of animals, of gosh, against such a hard question, 354 00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:20,480 Speaker 1: A couple that come to mind. Um definitely the hof crab. 355 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:26,640 Speaker 1: I mean, who doesn't love the club. It's a white, hairy, 356 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 1: um blind crab that lives about two and a half 357 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 1: kilometers down off Antarctica in the deep ocean at these 358 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: hydrothermal vent environment sees underwater volcanoes. And what they do 359 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: is because and hydrothermal vents, that fluid that they gush, 360 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:48,919 Speaker 1: that gushes out of them, it's really really rich in 361 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:55,640 Speaker 1: chemicals like methane and hydrogen sulfide, and there was environments 362 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 1: those communities surrounding hydrothermal vents. Well, instead of using light 363 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:04,040 Speaker 1: because there's no light in the deep sea apart from bioluminescence, um, 364 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:08,240 Speaker 1: they will use these chemicals as their source of energy 365 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 1: in a process instead of photosynthesis and a process called chemosynthesis. 366 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,120 Speaker 1: And that means that you know, you end up with 367 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: animals that are just so weird. And instead of having 368 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: plants as the primary producers like we do want land 369 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:29,680 Speaker 1: and shallow waters, we have m bacteria the other primary producers, 370 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:33,320 Speaker 1: and so they'll be these thick backed, white bacterial mats 371 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: growing all over these vents. But what is special about 372 00:22:36,119 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: the hof crab is that it will actually have those 373 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:44,159 Speaker 1: bacteria growing on its body. So it has that that 374 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:49,080 Speaker 1: hairy chest, those hairy arms um for the bacteria to 375 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:51,000 Speaker 1: grow on. And so what it will do is it 376 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:56,119 Speaker 1: will bathe itself in this warm, chemical rich fluid. The 377 00:22:56,160 --> 00:23:00,959 Speaker 1: bacteria will then grow and essentially then it will scrape 378 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,440 Speaker 1: all of the bacteria off of its chest and off 379 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 1: of its arms and into its mouth and it's like 380 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:08,159 Speaker 1: having its bomb and its body. I mean that sounds 381 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: our grocery. That sounds great to me, you know, it 382 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:15,840 Speaker 1: just but yeah, they're just they're just the most fabulous 383 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:18,640 Speaker 1: little animals. And they we now know because of work 384 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:23,720 Speaker 1: by colleagues that they actually where they live on hydrothermal 385 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:28,280 Speaker 1: events will be determined by their sex as well as 386 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,239 Speaker 1: what reproductive status they're in. So they found that, you know, 387 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:36,719 Speaker 1: the biggest um male hof crabs will move to the 388 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:41,400 Speaker 1: tops of the chimneys, whereas the females who have eggs 389 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: will move further away from the hottest parts of the 390 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:48,960 Speaker 1: chimney into more lukewarm water. I mean, it's just it's 391 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:52,159 Speaker 1: just fascinating. But in case you didn't know, they're the 392 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 1: real name is a Yeti crabs because they look like 393 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:59,199 Speaker 1: they vominable stowman or yet sy like. They've been nicknamed 394 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:03,399 Speaker 1: the hoff crab um because they because of that hairy 395 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 1: chest aspect on the expedition, on the cruise, they were 396 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 1: basically someone drew an allergy between them and David Hasselhoff. 397 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: And yeah, and as far as I understand, he quite 398 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 1: enjoys the idea. So yeah, so it's a quirky one. 399 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:26,520 Speaker 1: But then I mean there's also um an animal that 400 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,080 Speaker 1: I worked on. While it may not be like visually 401 00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 1: stunning it just as you know, a weird little thing 402 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: called ostax. It's a bone eating worm, and so it 403 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:41,159 Speaker 1: lives only on the bones of dead animals in the 404 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:46,240 Speaker 1: deep sea, especially on the largest one, so whales, for instance, 405 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:50,240 Speaker 1: and that is the only place they have found. And 406 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: they have this sort of rich structure that they use 407 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: that secretes acid and allows them to dissolve the whale 408 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,360 Speaker 1: bone and allow them to bury down into it like 409 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: a tree's roots to and then they're able to get 410 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:07,399 Speaker 1: their food from those bones. And what is what is 411 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:09,640 Speaker 1: amazing about them? You know, there's just so many sex 412 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,399 Speaker 1: strategies in the deep sea that are so weird that 413 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:16,160 Speaker 1: they all the ones that were that you can see 414 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 1: when you approach a whalefall on the deep sea floor, 415 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:25,439 Speaker 1: m actually a female um but they have no one 416 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,040 Speaker 1: knew whe the males were. It took ages for scientists 417 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:30,919 Speaker 1: to understand. But it turns out the males are tiny, 418 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,960 Speaker 1: tiny little blob like animals rather than this beautiful worm, 419 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:40,160 Speaker 1: and they sit on the female's bodies in within their tube. 420 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,680 Speaker 1: They have mixed tubes. Sometimes they sit within their mixed tubes, 421 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: and a female can have hundreds of them, um and 422 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 1: they're just there to provide her with sperm until they 423 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:52,360 Speaker 1: essentially run out and then they die and then she'll 424 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:54,879 Speaker 1: just replace them. And again that sounds great to me. 425 00:25:55,000 --> 00:26:00,200 Speaker 1: But um so just yeah, it's just this great easy 426 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:03,600 Speaker 1: world down there with all of these mad animals that 427 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,160 Speaker 1: it's like, you know, nature just went a bit crazy, 428 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 1: or rather evolution went a bit crazy. And I guess 429 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:12,359 Speaker 1: that makes sense given how extreme the conditions are down 430 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:15,360 Speaker 1: in the deep sea. You know, you really, evolution has 431 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: really sort of taken a turn and it's just a 432 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,720 Speaker 1: great place to innovation. Well maybe they're the normal ones 433 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: and we're the weird ones. I mean exactly, And there 434 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: are these thoughts that you know, life did come from 435 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:32,280 Speaker 1: the deep ocean, potentially from these hydrosenmal event environments, so 436 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:34,920 Speaker 1: exactly who knows. All right, we need to take a 437 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 1: quick break. We'll be right back with more of our conversation. 438 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,320 Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you, thank you. All Right, we're back. 439 00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 1: We're going to jump right back into the interview. So 440 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: you were just talking about these whalefall habitats, the whale 441 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 1: carcasses and the bone worms. We've discussed a bit on 442 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:54,600 Speaker 1: the show before some research about shipwrecks sometimes playing a 443 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,560 Speaker 1: similar role to whale carcasses at the bottom of the ocean. 444 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:00,640 Speaker 1: Do you have any experience with shipwrecks as deep sea 445 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: habitats and any possible parallels there. Yeah, so it's such 446 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:07,120 Speaker 1: a great question. By the way, when I got the email, 447 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:10,239 Speaker 1: I was like, huh, interesting, because the deep ocean is 448 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,719 Speaker 1: so food limited. There really is not a lot of 449 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:16,320 Speaker 1: food to go around in the deep sea, and that's 450 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:20,480 Speaker 1: because most of it comes from the sea surface um 451 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:24,920 Speaker 1: in the form of dead plankton um both phyto and zooplankton. 452 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,160 Speaker 1: But then also you get a fish and other things 453 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 1: that drift down, and then of course you get these 454 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 1: occasionally much larger packages of food like whales and would 455 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:36,639 Speaker 1: um so trees when they wash out to sea and 456 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 1: so on, and they these for organic falls once they 457 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:46,199 Speaker 1: get to the deep see, because they're able to be 458 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: broken down. They form this this huge source of food. 459 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 1: And as most of us know, you know a lot 460 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:56,119 Speaker 1: of ships are actually made of wood. Um. And so 461 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:58,439 Speaker 1: just like on land, how you have a variety of 462 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:01,480 Speaker 1: animals that will eat wood break downward. Um, it's the 463 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:04,400 Speaker 1: same thing in the deep sea. And so I know 464 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:06,960 Speaker 1: when was it in twenty seventeen, I was on an 465 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:11,800 Speaker 1: expedition UM in the Gulf of Mexico exploring areas there, 466 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:18,320 Speaker 1: and we came across eighteenth century vessel and because it 467 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,199 Speaker 1: was wood made of wood, but it actually had copper 468 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:23,880 Speaker 1: cladding along the front of it. And so you could 469 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:25,960 Speaker 1: see that all the wood, or a lot of the 470 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: would rather not all of it had been consumed and 471 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:31,760 Speaker 1: eaten away. And you can see the little boring holes 472 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,800 Speaker 1: by lots of animals. Um. But because of that, would 473 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: you actually get similar um processes happening to those that 474 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 1: happen at whalefall. So at whalefalls, they will go through 475 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: different stages in terms of animals eating them and The 476 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:55,480 Speaker 1: second to last stage is where they essentially become chemosynthetics, 477 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: so similar to the hydrothermal events, they because of the 478 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:02,120 Speaker 1: degradation of all that food organic matter, it results in 479 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: a lot of the oxygen being removed from the water, 480 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 1: and then a whole new set of life that can 481 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:13,000 Speaker 1: live without oxygen moves in and results and uses these 482 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:15,960 Speaker 1: chemicals and are now being emitted from the wood and 483 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:20,040 Speaker 1: the sea floor. And that's exactly what happens at these 484 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: at some of these shipwrecks, you get these and because 485 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,600 Speaker 1: of the acumums and possess you get this thick bacterial map, 486 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 1: these white thick back to your maps, and a very 487 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: specific set of fauna moving in to make the most 488 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:34,000 Speaker 1: of that environment. But they essentially end up as this 489 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 1: sort of hub of deep sea life because while a 490 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:40,040 Speaker 1: lot of the deep sea may look barren, of course 491 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: it's not. But compared to a lot of the deep sea, 492 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 1: they end up with a huge abundance of animals, big 493 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:51,240 Speaker 1: diversity of species. And that's just the wood ones. I mean. 494 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:53,840 Speaker 1: Then you also get the ones that are made of 495 00:29:53,960 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 1: less degradable materials like metal or fiberglass, and those are 496 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 1: very similar to the final stage of whale falls um. 497 00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: So once all the nutrients has been removed from a whalefall, 498 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:13,480 Speaker 1: whether it's the flesh of the whale or the nutrients 499 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:17,080 Speaker 1: from the bones, the bones essentially just become a structure, 500 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:19,440 Speaker 1: a physical structure on the sea floor like a rock, 501 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:23,400 Speaker 1: and as a result, animals will move in that can 502 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: sit movement little, so for instance, a coral or a 503 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,760 Speaker 1: sea star will sit on top of the whale fall 504 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: on top of the bones, and that will allow them 505 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: to project up into the away from the sea floor 506 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:41,160 Speaker 1: where currents can be slower because of the friction, and 507 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,360 Speaker 1: it allows them to get much more food. And so 508 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:48,680 Speaker 1: it really is you know, pretty good to for them 509 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:51,760 Speaker 1: to propel themselves off the sea floor. And that's the 510 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: same thing that happens at a lot of shipwrecks. They 511 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: provide this habitat because of that structure, because of that 512 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:02,240 Speaker 1: physical um distance from the sea floor, for a lot 513 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:04,600 Speaker 1: of animals to attach to so that they can get 514 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,280 Speaker 1: up into the water column and get more food, but 515 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:09,640 Speaker 1: also for a lot of animals to hide and shelter in. 516 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 1: So they really are interesting. And another thing that a 517 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: lot of people don't realize is you know, some whale falls, 518 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:19,680 Speaker 1: it's thought can last for over a hundred years on 519 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:23,240 Speaker 1: the sea floor, and we know that shipwrecks also can 520 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:25,680 Speaker 1: last for a very very long time on the deep 521 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: sea floor as well. So a lot of analogies that interesting. 522 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:33,440 Speaker 1: So one thing I was reading that you had written 523 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:37,320 Speaker 1: about was about deep water exploration in the Mariana region. 524 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 1: I read where you mentioned that you can sometimes just 525 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 1: come across these masses of strange organisms that nobody on 526 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:48,120 Speaker 1: the team can identify. Can can you talk to something 527 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:51,800 Speaker 1: about that experience. I mean, it's not just in the 528 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:56,560 Speaker 1: Marianas region, it's just globally in the deep sea m 529 00:31:56,880 --> 00:32:00,760 Speaker 1: I'd say on nearly every research crew that I've been on, 530 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: that has happened um And I'm sure other DPC scientists 531 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:07,120 Speaker 1: would tell you the same. And that's just a nod 532 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:10,320 Speaker 1: to the how little exploration there's been. But it's just 533 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:13,960 Speaker 1: this really humbling feeling. You know, often as scientists, a 534 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:16,080 Speaker 1: lot of people think that we have all the answers, 535 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:19,960 Speaker 1: but really working in the deepotion reminds us that we 536 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,160 Speaker 1: we don't. Um On every on every research cruise we 537 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:27,800 Speaker 1: go on, we see new animals, we see new habitats um. 538 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:31,320 Speaker 1: And yeah, I think not a lot of people realize 539 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 1: that that's the case. Most people think that, you know, 540 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:37,360 Speaker 1: we know everything about our about our planet, about our oceans, 541 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: but really we're very very far away from that. Was 542 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:42,400 Speaker 1: that kind of where you're going with that question or 543 00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:45,000 Speaker 1: were you opening at something else? No, of course that's true. 544 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:47,560 Speaker 1: I was wondering also, I mean, if there were any 545 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:50,400 Speaker 1: experiences that stood out to you about specific things you 546 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 1: saw and you mentioned in the piece I was reading 547 00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: about just like strange white spheres and like green wiry things. 548 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,360 Speaker 1: I think that they didn't have named that was I 549 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:06,440 Speaker 1: mean that? Okay, So on every expedition, yes, we find animals. 550 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:09,040 Speaker 1: We don't know exactly what species they are, or maybe 551 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,600 Speaker 1: even what genus they are, maybe even what family they 552 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:15,320 Speaker 1: are in that taxonomic classification. But yeah, occasionally you get 553 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 1: you get you see these things and you're like, I 554 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:22,400 Speaker 1: don't even know whether that's a line, whether that's a 555 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:25,520 Speaker 1: plant or because of course you don't really get plants 556 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:27,320 Speaker 1: in the deep sea because there's don't light, or you 557 00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:29,840 Speaker 1: don't get plants in the deep sea unless they're dead. Um, 558 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 1: and so you just you know, you're like, how is this, 559 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 1: How is this happening? How can I not even understand 560 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,480 Speaker 1: the basic classification of this animal? And that happened quite 561 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:42,160 Speaker 1: a lot in the Mariana region. Actually, um, you're right. 562 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:45,760 Speaker 1: We saw these sort of green thread like structures that 563 00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:50,280 Speaker 1: were um hanging off of deep sea corals in the current, 564 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 1: and so we thought that maybe maybe it was algae 565 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 1: that had you know, gotten further down to the deep sea, 566 00:33:56,920 --> 00:33:58,760 Speaker 1: and then was the current had blown in and then 567 00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:02,000 Speaker 1: it's sort of snagged. But then the weirdest one definitely 568 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:06,560 Speaker 1: was were these spares. They were only a couple maybe 569 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:09,800 Speaker 1: a centimeter a couple of millimeters across, but there were 570 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:12,880 Speaker 1: the housands of them just all on the sea floor. 571 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:16,720 Speaker 1: And we had on that expedition because we were able 572 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:20,360 Speaker 1: to stream the dives live. It was on the Okeanos Explorer, 573 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 1: the No A ship O Pianist Explorer, and they stream 574 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,080 Speaker 1: all of their dives live, and it means that the 575 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,640 Speaker 1: public can watch, and it means that a lot of 576 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: scientists who aren't able to be on the ship because 577 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,399 Speaker 1: of constraints of space, but perhaps also they have other 578 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,839 Speaker 1: things going on, they can watch and join in and 579 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:37,960 Speaker 1: communicate with us. So it means we really have a 580 00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:41,320 Speaker 1: much larger wealth of knowledge. But again, in that case, 581 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:45,000 Speaker 1: you know, we had dozens of scientists on the core 582 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:47,080 Speaker 1: with us, on the dive with us, and no one 583 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:50,920 Speaker 1: was able to say what those spears were. And we 584 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 1: saw them several times during that expedition. We tried to 585 00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:56,879 Speaker 1: pick them up, we tried to crush them with the 586 00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 1: r V manipulator that r V hands, and it just 587 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:03,360 Speaker 1: we yeah, we were We narrowed it down to about 588 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:06,880 Speaker 1: five things, but we still don't know for sure. And 589 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:09,960 Speaker 1: that was three years ago, you know, and that's just 590 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 1: a really common in the deep seat. Yeah, so I 591 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:20,880 Speaker 1: love the the sense of scientific wonder and discovery. You know, 592 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:24,160 Speaker 1: you're you're able to relay about the deep ocean, and 593 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna come We're gonna come back to that towards 594 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,000 Speaker 1: the end. But but I wanted to ask a few 595 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:33,439 Speaker 1: questions though about about the threats that the deep sea 596 00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:36,719 Speaker 1: ecosystems are facing. What are the biggest threats to deep 597 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:41,640 Speaker 1: sea ecosystems today? So the biggest threats Okay, there's a 598 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:44,759 Speaker 1: huge suite of things that are impacting the deep sea um, 599 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:49,640 Speaker 1: but currently it's probably fishing um. There's actually a lot 600 00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:51,200 Speaker 1: of deep ocean fishing, and a lot of it can 601 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:55,400 Speaker 1: be very very destructive practices. So things like trawling, which 602 00:35:55,880 --> 00:36:01,680 Speaker 1: essentially just clear cuts communities. Nothing is left unscathed. And when, 603 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:05,560 Speaker 1: for instance, when the corals and sponges those rainforests are 604 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:09,840 Speaker 1: are broken and disturbed, then it means the habitat for 605 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:13,399 Speaker 1: lots of other animals is lost, and that happens in 606 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,600 Speaker 1: in a lot of our world's deepotions. But then there's 607 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:19,719 Speaker 1: also you know, pollution. We're hearing a lot these days 608 00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:23,319 Speaker 1: about plastic, but there's lots of other materials. I mean, 609 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:27,520 Speaker 1: people used to even though it's illegal now, UM, people 610 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:30,680 Speaker 1: used to purposefully dump into the deep sea because it 611 00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:33,880 Speaker 1: was sort of this essentially bottomless pit, you know, it 612 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:36,800 Speaker 1: was once thought to be. And so there's been things 613 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:40,840 Speaker 1: like pharmacy, pharmaceuticals, it's been dumped in the Puerto Rico Trench, 614 00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:47,160 Speaker 1: and UM, ammunition and chemical weapons that have been dumped 615 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:49,880 Speaker 1: off of U in the Pacific and off Hawaii and 616 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:53,479 Speaker 1: so on. UM. But that's changing. But of course there's 617 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:55,600 Speaker 1: still a lot of stuff that gets into the deep sea, 618 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:59,879 Speaker 1: not on purpose, right, whether it is plastic, but wash 619 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,240 Speaker 1: is out to sea in rivers, or something that blows 620 00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:05,759 Speaker 1: off a ship um and unfortunately, you know, it's it's 621 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:08,920 Speaker 1: a reality. On every research cruise that I've been on, 622 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:11,640 Speaker 1: we've come across our trash on the deep sea floor 623 00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:15,799 Speaker 1: from the Antarctic to the Mariana Trench. And I'm not 624 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: sure if you've been watching the news, but there was 625 00:37:18,239 --> 00:37:21,839 Speaker 1: someone who broke the record for the deepest dive um 626 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:24,920 Speaker 1: in our world's oceans and then Marianna Trench just this week, 627 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:29,000 Speaker 1: and when he got down there, you know, he found 628 00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:33,560 Speaker 1: trash and that really is a very sad reality, but 629 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:36,000 Speaker 1: that's those those pieces of trash are sort of the 630 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:38,200 Speaker 1: part of the things that are easy to see and 631 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:40,960 Speaker 1: easy to understand. But there's also lots of impacts that 632 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,480 Speaker 1: we can't see. So things like chemical pollution. Some of 633 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:48,040 Speaker 1: the animals in the Mariana Trench and other parts of 634 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:51,000 Speaker 1: the deep otion have been found to have incredibly high 635 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:54,799 Speaker 1: levels of really destructive chemicals in their bodies, things like 636 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:59,880 Speaker 1: PCBs and so on. Then now plastics were realizing breakdown 637 00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:02,040 Speaker 1: in of microplastics and those end up in the deep 638 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,880 Speaker 1: otion and a lot of animals actually eat them, and 639 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: no one is really sure what effect that's having. On them, 640 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:11,520 Speaker 1: and then of course we've got this huge umbrella over 641 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:18,000 Speaker 1: everything of climate change. It's happening globally. It is the 642 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:21,680 Speaker 1: biggest environmental crisis and one of the biggest crises in 643 00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:25,759 Speaker 1: general to face our planet. And the deep sea is 644 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:30,200 Speaker 1: no exception. Um, whether it is rising temperatures, whether it 645 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:35,400 Speaker 1: is um ocean a certification because of that, or also deoxygenation, 646 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:39,360 Speaker 1: all of those things are happening in our deep oceans 647 00:38:39,560 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 1: and they're almost sort of we we think, and there's 648 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:48,200 Speaker 1: you know, research we're in the recent you know, decade 649 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:50,920 Speaker 1: or so happening on this, and more and more happening 650 00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:54,480 Speaker 1: on this that actually, though the impacts of climate change 651 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:58,839 Speaker 1: may be exacerbating some of the other impacts that are 652 00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:02,200 Speaker 1: already happening, and so we're having these sort of cumulative 653 00:39:02,239 --> 00:39:06,680 Speaker 1: impacts that we don't quite understand yet. And you know, 654 00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:09,680 Speaker 1: this lack of lack of understanding, that lack of science 655 00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:13,720 Speaker 1: is really a huge barrier to being able to deal 656 00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:19,000 Speaker 1: with these impacts. Um, it really really is a big problem. 657 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:21,239 Speaker 1: I was actually I don't know the answer to this. 658 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:25,240 Speaker 1: I wonder if you do, so, how does in previous 659 00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:28,680 Speaker 1: mass extinctions that have taken place on the Earth. I 660 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:32,680 Speaker 1: know many ocean organisms are affected, but in the deep sea. 661 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,799 Speaker 1: Do we think that the deep sea is usually more 662 00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:39,279 Speaker 1: affected or less affected or about equally affected to other 663 00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:42,680 Speaker 1: ecosystems when there's a massive mass extinction? Oh my god, 664 00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:44,360 Speaker 1: this is a really hard question. I'll give you a 665 00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:50,400 Speaker 1: very broad answer, just because I'm not like certain. But 666 00:39:50,719 --> 00:39:52,960 Speaker 1: there have been a range of extinction events that have 667 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:58,600 Speaker 1: happened on the planet, and usually um, while in our oceans, 668 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:00,520 Speaker 1: you know, a lot of the lie in a lot 669 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:06,399 Speaker 1: of in most of the oceans deep and shallow have died. Um. 670 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:08,600 Speaker 1: It is thought in some of them that you know, 671 00:40:08,719 --> 00:40:11,880 Speaker 1: that is where life remained and that is where life 672 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:16,840 Speaker 1: was able to recolonize from. But that shouldn't really be 673 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 1: you know, shouldn't really give us any hope. Well down there, no, no, 674 00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:27,279 Speaker 1: they won't. UM. So it really is about, you know, 675 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:30,840 Speaker 1: changing the way that we're sort of treating our planet. 676 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:34,719 Speaker 1: And especially as you know, the technology is increasing, the 677 00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:41,200 Speaker 1: demand is increasing for resources because of these increasing global populations, 678 00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:45,200 Speaker 1: increasing standards of living, and that means that we're pushing 679 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:49,120 Speaker 1: deeper and deeper into our oceans to get these basic 680 00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:52,400 Speaker 1: resources that we lie on fishing is a big one food, 681 00:40:53,239 --> 00:40:56,120 Speaker 1: but there's also things like you know, deep sea mining 682 00:40:56,239 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 1: is on the horizon UM for those metals that we 683 00:40:59,719 --> 00:41:05,160 Speaker 1: need for our laptops, our cell phones, our renewable energy UM. 684 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:10,120 Speaker 1: And then there's also UM things like marine genetic resources. 685 00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:13,680 Speaker 1: So because the deep sea is this really extreme place 686 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:18,160 Speaker 1: and animals have evolved so so much down there, they 687 00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:20,120 Speaker 1: thought that they met they might have a lot of 688 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:25,319 Speaker 1: properties and compounds that might be really useful to us. UM. So, 689 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,799 Speaker 1: for instance, antibiotic resistance is going to be again one 690 00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:32,479 Speaker 1: of the biggest challenges facing humanity, and so now there's 691 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:34,560 Speaker 1: a big push to look to the deep ocean for 692 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:38,719 Speaker 1: antibiotics and other types of medicine for instance, that you know, 693 00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:42,520 Speaker 1: may be able to help combat that issue in the future. UM. 694 00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:45,680 Speaker 1: And so that's this is this is increasing and we 695 00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:49,839 Speaker 1: really do need to think about how we regulate our 696 00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:53,080 Speaker 1: deep otions because a lot of them aren't very well 697 00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:58,440 Speaker 1: regulated because they sit in international waters UM or areas 698 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:01,799 Speaker 1: beyond national jurisdictions. The term that people are using these days, 699 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:04,560 Speaker 1: and that means that you know, they've been really loosely 700 00:42:04,800 --> 00:42:09,560 Speaker 1: regulated and managed UM up to today, and that's changing. 701 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:14,680 Speaker 1: But slowly. Now in terms of deep sea mining, you 702 00:42:14,719 --> 00:42:18,520 Speaker 1: mentioned how that is that's on the horizon, what can 703 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:21,160 Speaker 1: be done and what is being done to to to 704 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:30,320 Speaker 1: curve and prevent destruction from from those enterprises. So the 705 00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:33,279 Speaker 1: the deep ocean is the clothes. While it is not pristine, 706 00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,000 Speaker 1: it's the closest ecosystem we have on the planet to 707 00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:41,160 Speaker 1: one that is pristine. And you know, historically we haven't 708 00:42:41,160 --> 00:42:44,800 Speaker 1: been a great species. For instance, on land and shallow waters. 709 00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:49,080 Speaker 1: We exploited lots of environments without having a very good 710 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:52,840 Speaker 1: understanding of them, and so things went arrived very quickly, 711 00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:57,920 Speaker 1: and we've been doing that for millennia right longer UM. 712 00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:01,640 Speaker 1: And but with the deep sea we have this real 713 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:08,640 Speaker 1: opportunity to understand what exists there prior to exploitation so 714 00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:13,000 Speaker 1: that we can essentially better value and better manage it. UM. 715 00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:17,600 Speaker 1: So there is science being done very slowly, not quickly enough, 716 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:21,120 Speaker 1: which is a problem, but it is sort of ticking 717 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:24,560 Speaker 1: over and right now. What there are two really big 718 00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:29,640 Speaker 1: processes happening globally UM. One is at the United Nations 719 00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:34,919 Speaker 1: a process called the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Negotiations UM, 720 00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:38,480 Speaker 1: and that is essentially to try and put laws and 721 00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:44,279 Speaker 1: regulations in place to manage international waters because currently they're 722 00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:49,399 Speaker 1: sort of this UM. They're called the common heritage of humankind, 723 00:43:49,640 --> 00:43:53,200 Speaker 1: and that means that they belong to everyone on the planet. 724 00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:58,120 Speaker 1: They belong to everyone that's yet to come on the planet, 725 00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:01,399 Speaker 1: and as a result, they sort of belong to no one, right, 726 00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:04,080 Speaker 1: So there's that catch twin two. So now there's this 727 00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:08,880 Speaker 1: process happening at the u N to manage these areas 728 00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:13,399 Speaker 1: and all of the life within them more responsibly UM, 729 00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:15,719 Speaker 1: and hopefully, you know, within the next two to three 730 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:18,879 Speaker 1: years that will be concluded with a really strong UM 731 00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:21,160 Speaker 1: set of regulations so that we can really begin to 732 00:44:21,239 --> 00:44:24,160 Speaker 1: step it up. Also happening is related to deep sea 733 00:44:24,239 --> 00:44:29,120 Speaker 1: mining is again another process. It's deep se mining. Well, 734 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:34,319 Speaker 1: all mineral resources in the deep ocean is governed by 735 00:44:34,360 --> 00:44:39,480 Speaker 1: a body called the International Seabed Authority UM, and they 736 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:44,200 Speaker 1: are an intergovernmental body and they right now are going 737 00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:47,799 Speaker 1: through a similar process as that of BBNG, where they 738 00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:50,640 Speaker 1: are trying to put in place the regulations that will 739 00:44:50,719 --> 00:44:56,080 Speaker 1: govern mining if it ever does begin UM. And it's 740 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:59,880 Speaker 1: really important that those regulations be grounded in rigorous science, 741 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:03,439 Speaker 1: because again that is really one of those key limiting factors. Hey, 742 00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:07,320 Speaker 1: our understanding. UM. But you know, it's a great start, 743 00:45:07,640 --> 00:45:13,279 Speaker 1: and so the next five years to ten years are 744 00:45:13,360 --> 00:45:18,080 Speaker 1: going to be hugely important for our oceans and as 745 00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:22,200 Speaker 1: a result, hugely important for our planet. UM. And we 746 00:45:22,280 --> 00:45:25,480 Speaker 1: just kind of have to keep our hopes up and 747 00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:29,040 Speaker 1: keep engaging and keep hoping that um, you know that 748 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:33,399 Speaker 1: really strong regulations emerge and as a result, everyone will 749 00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:36,680 Speaker 1: be much much better for that. But it remains to 750 00:45:36,719 --> 00:45:39,040 Speaker 1: be seen. Okay, time to take a quick break, but 751 00:45:39,080 --> 00:45:44,440 Speaker 1: we will be right back. Thank Alright, we're back, and 752 00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:46,560 Speaker 1: we're going to jump right back into the interview on 753 00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:49,319 Speaker 1: top of urging for you know, the right kind of 754 00:45:49,560 --> 00:45:52,560 Speaker 1: large scale policy is to fight climate change and to 755 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:55,640 Speaker 1: you know, try to prevent the destruction of these habitats 756 00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:58,160 Speaker 1: by industry. Is there is there anything really that that 757 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:01,080 Speaker 1: individual people can do to help or is this really 758 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:05,120 Speaker 1: something that just has to be addressed on the large scale? UM? 759 00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:09,800 Speaker 1: I mean both. Definitely, the large scale process is so 760 00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:14,000 Speaker 1: so important, UM. But I mean something that you know 761 00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:18,080 Speaker 1: anyone can do is become responsible consumers. You know, I 762 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:19,799 Speaker 1: know when people here this all the time, but ask 763 00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:23,360 Speaker 1: where your fish is coming? From ask how it was caught, Um, 764 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:26,080 Speaker 1: you know in the Mariana Trench, that plastic bag that 765 00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:29,719 Speaker 1: ended up over ten kilometers down there. Um, someone had 766 00:46:29,800 --> 00:46:33,280 Speaker 1: to take that from a grocery, right. So it's about 767 00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:37,800 Speaker 1: you know, really behaving responsibly because everything on the planet 768 00:46:37,880 --> 00:46:41,480 Speaker 1: is connected, um, and all of our actions have an impact. 769 00:46:42,239 --> 00:46:46,480 Speaker 1: And I think something else is really you know, educating 770 00:46:46,480 --> 00:46:50,239 Speaker 1: yourself about the oceans, about what lives there, um, and 771 00:46:50,320 --> 00:46:53,560 Speaker 1: then sort of educating others because that's the way that 772 00:46:53,640 --> 00:46:57,040 Speaker 1: we can really influence change in our communities. And that's 773 00:46:57,200 --> 00:47:02,440 Speaker 1: where a lot of um impetus can be placed on policymakers. Right. 774 00:47:02,480 --> 00:47:05,319 Speaker 1: Without that that backing of the public, sometimes a lot 775 00:47:05,320 --> 00:47:07,760 Speaker 1: of stuff doesn't get done. So really it's just about 776 00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:12,319 Speaker 1: that knowledge increasing it awesome, Robert. So we did have 777 00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:18,680 Speaker 1: a few things from from Robert's son's class that we Yeah, 778 00:47:18,680 --> 00:47:20,920 Speaker 1: it just happened that my son's for one of his 779 00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:24,360 Speaker 1: first grade grade classes, they're they're discussing their covering of 780 00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:29,160 Speaker 1: marine biology and discussing various ocean layers. So I reached 781 00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:31,359 Speaker 1: out to them. Right for first grade. I was like, wow, 782 00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:35,120 Speaker 1: I wish my school was like but but yeah, I 783 00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:36,440 Speaker 1: reached out to him, and I said, you know, we're 784 00:47:36,760 --> 00:47:41,000 Speaker 1: we're chatting with an expert this week. Maybe the class 785 00:47:41,040 --> 00:47:43,280 Speaker 1: has some questions they would like to to ask, so 786 00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:45,719 Speaker 1: so I'm going to ask them on their behalf. Here 787 00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:50,600 Speaker 1: these are actual questions from first graders about marine biology 788 00:47:50,600 --> 00:47:53,600 Speaker 1: and the deep ocean. So the first one is how 789 00:47:53,640 --> 00:47:56,640 Speaker 1: do animals in the midnight zone handle the water pressure? 790 00:47:57,760 --> 00:48:00,839 Speaker 1: I mean, that's a super specific question. I'm pretty sure 791 00:48:00,840 --> 00:48:02,200 Speaker 1: when I was in first bird, I didn't know what 792 00:48:02,200 --> 00:48:03,920 Speaker 1: the midnight zone was. I'm pretty sure up until like 793 00:48:03,960 --> 00:48:07,319 Speaker 1: ten years ago, I didn't know what the midnights. But 794 00:48:08,480 --> 00:48:10,440 Speaker 1: I asked with the zeal of a child who just 795 00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:14,400 Speaker 1: learned about the midnight zone. You've got to know great, um. 796 00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:18,279 Speaker 1: But this this unfortunately isn't my area of expertise, but 797 00:48:19,080 --> 00:48:22,919 Speaker 1: especially the midnight zone. But I'll give a more broad answer. UM. 798 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:25,600 Speaker 1: So many fish and any and lots of other animals 799 00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:27,920 Speaker 1: that live in the deep ocean. One of the ways 800 00:48:28,160 --> 00:48:33,239 Speaker 1: they handle that huge change in water pressure, UM, is 801 00:48:33,320 --> 00:48:36,600 Speaker 1: that they don't have air pockets in their bodies. So 802 00:48:36,640 --> 00:48:39,839 Speaker 1: if you think about us, we have our lungs and 803 00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:42,759 Speaker 1: those that has air in it, right, And that is 804 00:48:42,800 --> 00:48:45,279 Speaker 1: the reason that we one of the reasons that we're 805 00:48:45,320 --> 00:48:48,239 Speaker 1: unable to go into the deep sea because they were 806 00:48:48,280 --> 00:48:51,160 Speaker 1: at that air would essentially become really really compressed and 807 00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:54,600 Speaker 1: eventually we would just squish. Um. But a lot of 808 00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:57,439 Speaker 1: animals get around that by just not having those air 809 00:48:57,440 --> 00:49:01,120 Speaker 1: pockets um and are largely composed of water, and so 810 00:49:01,160 --> 00:49:06,319 Speaker 1: if you're essentially the same material as what you're living in, 811 00:49:06,800 --> 00:49:09,919 Speaker 1: it means that the pressure when you when that when 812 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:14,239 Speaker 1: it changes, can remain sort of balanced. But unfortunately, fun 813 00:49:14,320 --> 00:49:18,719 Speaker 1: fact a bit morbid. Um. When some fish in the 814 00:49:18,719 --> 00:49:24,280 Speaker 1: depotion do have those air bladders in them, and when 815 00:49:24,840 --> 00:49:27,719 Speaker 1: you you know, when we're doing our science, if we 816 00:49:27,719 --> 00:49:30,080 Speaker 1: were to collect one of them and then bring it 817 00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:33,359 Speaker 1: to the surface, because of that change in pressure. When 818 00:49:33,360 --> 00:49:37,279 Speaker 1: you're really deep down, um, every air is very compressed, 819 00:49:37,719 --> 00:49:41,040 Speaker 1: but as you move shallower it expands because of that 820 00:49:41,120 --> 00:49:45,320 Speaker 1: difference in pressure, and a lot of those fish, because 821 00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:48,800 Speaker 1: of that air pocket in them, the air will actually 822 00:49:48,800 --> 00:49:52,520 Speaker 1: expand as they're coming to the sea surface, and sometimes 823 00:49:52,680 --> 00:49:56,839 Speaker 1: they end up like exploding, or their stomach comes out 824 00:49:56,840 --> 00:49:59,759 Speaker 1: of their mouth, or their eyes bug out. It's just 825 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:03,759 Speaker 1: and right, not very pretty. We actually talked about this 826 00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:06,200 Speaker 1: in an episode not too long ago. The the version 827 00:50:06,239 --> 00:50:08,520 Speaker 1: of the stomach from was it a rock fish, I 828 00:50:08,560 --> 00:50:11,560 Speaker 1: think when they get pulled up from deep pressure, Yeah, 829 00:50:11,560 --> 00:50:13,840 Speaker 1: exactly so. And not just rock fish, but you know 830 00:50:13,880 --> 00:50:17,000 Speaker 1: any deeps fish that have have these air pockets. It 831 00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:19,960 Speaker 1: just I can imagine it's not a very nice experience 832 00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:24,040 Speaker 1: for them to go through. All right, Well, here's another 833 00:50:24,080 --> 00:50:28,480 Speaker 1: first grade question. How do animals without sight find food 834 00:50:28,560 --> 00:50:31,480 Speaker 1: in the ocean? And that's a great question because in 835 00:50:31,520 --> 00:50:34,280 Speaker 1: the deep sea, there's no light once you go past 836 00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:40,120 Speaker 1: about four meters depth. Sun cannot get down there, and 837 00:50:40,239 --> 00:50:42,440 Speaker 1: so that means that a lot of animals either if 838 00:50:42,440 --> 00:50:45,920 Speaker 1: they do have eyes, they can't see very well or 839 00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:48,879 Speaker 1: they just flat up don't have eyes. Right, So it's 840 00:50:48,920 --> 00:50:50,840 Speaker 1: really really important in the deep otion that they have 841 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:53,959 Speaker 1: another way to find their food. Um. So there's two 842 00:50:53,960 --> 00:50:57,000 Speaker 1: main ways. One is that they can use they have 843 00:50:57,520 --> 00:51:01,160 Speaker 1: chemical senses. So just like how when your mom is 844 00:51:01,239 --> 00:51:03,640 Speaker 1: making your favorite meal and you're in your bedroom and 845 00:51:03,680 --> 00:51:07,719 Speaker 1: you can smell it wafting up the stairs. Um, animals 846 00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:11,359 Speaker 1: can do the same. They can detect these chemicals in 847 00:51:11,440 --> 00:51:15,320 Speaker 1: the water and then because of currents bringing that chemical, 848 00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:17,839 Speaker 1: those chemicals to them, just like how the wind would 849 00:51:17,880 --> 00:51:20,760 Speaker 1: bring us the scent of the food. They can follow 850 00:51:20,840 --> 00:51:25,719 Speaker 1: that to wherever that that parcel of food maybe. And 851 00:51:25,760 --> 00:51:29,160 Speaker 1: the other way is they can have it's the big 852 00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:32,239 Speaker 1: word mechano sensory cues. So what that means is that 853 00:51:32,760 --> 00:51:37,600 Speaker 1: they will have, for instance, um structures along their body, 854 00:51:37,840 --> 00:51:42,839 Speaker 1: like little lateral lines or little hairs that make them 855 00:51:43,120 --> 00:51:47,440 Speaker 1: extra sensitive for picking up vibrations in the water. So 856 00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:49,200 Speaker 1: it's like how if you were to go outside and 857 00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:52,440 Speaker 1: you were to feel a breeze on your arm. Animals 858 00:51:52,440 --> 00:51:54,400 Speaker 1: can do that, but sleeps the animals can do that, 859 00:51:54,440 --> 00:51:57,719 Speaker 1: but on a much greater scale. So if there was, 860 00:51:57,760 --> 00:52:01,880 Speaker 1: for instance, a dying fish down the deep sea that 861 00:52:01,960 --> 00:52:05,319 Speaker 1: was sort of flapping about making lots of movement, or 862 00:52:05,400 --> 00:52:07,880 Speaker 1: something like a dead whale had just drifted down to 863 00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:09,759 Speaker 1: deep sea and then hit the sea floor with a 864 00:52:09,760 --> 00:52:12,799 Speaker 1: big thump, animals will be able to pick up those 865 00:52:12,920 --> 00:52:17,279 Speaker 1: vibrations and then again follow them to find the next meal, 866 00:52:18,280 --> 00:52:22,480 Speaker 1: which is pretty cool, awesome. Well, um, they have the 867 00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:25,720 Speaker 1: first graders ask a few more questions. But you've you've 868 00:52:25,920 --> 00:52:28,279 Speaker 1: you've hit on most of the answers already. But but 869 00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:30,600 Speaker 1: I will close one of their questions was, what's the 870 00:52:30,600 --> 00:52:32,960 Speaker 1: most interesting thing you've seen in the ocean. You've already 871 00:52:32,960 --> 00:52:37,880 Speaker 1: shared a number of different, um, you know, fascinating examples 872 00:52:37,880 --> 00:52:40,600 Speaker 1: of ecosystems and organisms. But I wonder if there's if 873 00:52:40,600 --> 00:52:44,759 Speaker 1: there's there's one more ecosystem or organism that you would 874 00:52:44,800 --> 00:52:52,319 Speaker 1: like to highlight before we close out, or something anomalous old. 875 00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:55,480 Speaker 1: It's just it's so hard because you know, on every 876 00:52:55,520 --> 00:52:59,799 Speaker 1: single research could we go on, we see amazing things. Right, 877 00:53:00,000 --> 00:53:08,000 Speaker 1: It's just not an exaggeration. Um oh um. Perhaps. I 878 00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:12,120 Speaker 1: mean I've had a number of really memorable experiences. Um. 879 00:53:12,239 --> 00:53:16,680 Speaker 1: So a couple that are jumping to mind. Uh um. 880 00:53:16,719 --> 00:53:20,719 Speaker 1: When we were exploring the deep sea in the Antarcticum, 881 00:53:21,080 --> 00:53:23,799 Speaker 1: I remember my first morning on the ship. This isn't 882 00:53:23,800 --> 00:53:26,120 Speaker 1: necessarily in the ocean, in the deep sea, but I 883 00:53:26,120 --> 00:53:28,800 Speaker 1: remember my first morning on the ship. I was brushing 884 00:53:28,840 --> 00:53:31,880 Speaker 1: my teeth looking out the window, Um, just at the 885 00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:35,279 Speaker 1: amazing you know, we can see any land or any icebergs. 886 00:53:35,360 --> 00:53:37,520 Speaker 1: But I was just looking at the view and all 887 00:53:37,520 --> 00:53:39,319 Speaker 1: of a sudden there was a splitsh splash right by 888 00:53:39,320 --> 00:53:41,560 Speaker 1: the window. I was like, what was that? And then 889 00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:45,400 Speaker 1: it was just this huge flock of chin strap penguins 890 00:53:45,600 --> 00:53:49,200 Speaker 1: just you know, sort of swam by, and that was 891 00:53:49,239 --> 00:53:51,839 Speaker 1: just I mean, I'll never forget that. That was just 892 00:53:51,880 --> 00:53:54,440 Speaker 1: an incredible experience, of course, and I started brushing my 893 00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:56,239 Speaker 1: teeth and ran outside with my camera and stayed out 894 00:53:56,239 --> 00:54:01,319 Speaker 1: there for like four hours. But but apart from that, um, 895 00:54:01,440 --> 00:54:06,040 Speaker 1: something anomalous would be it was it was actually a 896 00:54:06,080 --> 00:54:09,400 Speaker 1: bit sad um again in the Gulf of Mexico in 897 00:54:11,840 --> 00:54:14,880 Speaker 1: we were going to be exploring what we thought was 898 00:54:14,920 --> 00:54:18,440 Speaker 1: a shipwreck. We had found a shipwreck a couple of 899 00:54:18,520 --> 00:54:21,160 Speaker 1: days earlier that no one had been too since it 900 00:54:21,200 --> 00:54:23,359 Speaker 1: had been on the sea floor, had known was there. 901 00:54:24,040 --> 00:54:26,719 Speaker 1: And we were really excited because we were hoping to 902 00:54:26,760 --> 00:54:30,640 Speaker 1: do that again. Um. And you know, we had bets 903 00:54:30,719 --> 00:54:33,000 Speaker 1: going on board for how old it would be, what 904 00:54:33,160 --> 00:54:35,400 Speaker 1: kind of vessel it would be, what would be living 905 00:54:35,440 --> 00:54:38,719 Speaker 1: on it. Everyone was really really excited, and because it 906 00:54:38,760 --> 00:54:42,719 Speaker 1: really is exploration in like the truest sense, right, Um. 907 00:54:42,760 --> 00:54:46,120 Speaker 1: But when we got to it, it turned out it 908 00:54:46,200 --> 00:54:48,640 Speaker 1: wasn't a ship at all, and in fact was a 909 00:54:48,680 --> 00:54:53,520 Speaker 1: shipping container that had obviously fallen off a ship in 910 00:54:53,560 --> 00:54:58,960 Speaker 1: a storm or something and had exploded on the sea floor, 911 00:54:59,440 --> 00:55:02,360 Speaker 1: and as a result, we found the r O V 912 00:55:02,840 --> 00:55:12,239 Speaker 1: driving through this field of fridges, washing machines, dryers, chest freezers, dishwashers. 913 00:55:12,280 --> 00:55:17,080 Speaker 1: Like it was just the most surreal experience because you're 914 00:55:17,120 --> 00:55:19,919 Speaker 1: like two kilometers down in an area of the Gulf 915 00:55:19,920 --> 00:55:22,719 Speaker 1: of Mexico no one has ever been before. And yet 916 00:55:22,800 --> 00:55:25,960 Speaker 1: still hair is all of our trash just sitting on 917 00:55:25,960 --> 00:55:28,759 Speaker 1: the sea floor, you know, like common common goods that 918 00:55:28,840 --> 00:55:30,960 Speaker 1: we all have in our home. And then there are 919 00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:33,520 Speaker 1: all these way deep sea animals like living on them 920 00:55:33,600 --> 00:55:35,759 Speaker 1: or swimming around them, and you're like, what is going on? 921 00:55:35,840 --> 00:55:42,160 Speaker 1: I don't understand. Um. And then apart from that, um, 922 00:55:42,800 --> 00:55:44,759 Speaker 1: I mean one of some of my favorites. It never 923 00:55:44,840 --> 00:55:51,440 Speaker 1: gets old seeing octopus in the deep sea, especially dumbo 924 00:55:51,480 --> 00:55:54,719 Speaker 1: octopus that have the flaps on the side of their heads. 925 00:55:54,719 --> 00:55:57,879 Speaker 1: I mean, they're just so adorable. Um. And also deep 926 00:55:57,920 --> 00:56:02,520 Speaker 1: sea sharks are super cool. Um. And usually we see 927 00:56:02,560 --> 00:56:04,840 Speaker 1: a couple of those on on a lot of exhibitions. 928 00:56:04,880 --> 00:56:08,080 Speaker 1: On we were off Brazil about yeah, two years ago, 929 00:56:08,840 --> 00:56:11,799 Speaker 1: and um, we were diving in submersibles, which of course 930 00:56:11,880 --> 00:56:14,719 Speaker 1: is always so much fun. Um, and remind me to 931 00:56:14,719 --> 00:56:18,640 Speaker 1: tell you something funny after uh, And we yeah, on 932 00:56:18,760 --> 00:56:21,440 Speaker 1: every single dive we were off Brazil, off these rocks 933 00:56:21,440 --> 00:56:24,240 Speaker 1: called Saint Paul's and Saint Peter's Rocks, which are smack 934 00:56:24,400 --> 00:56:27,800 Speaker 1: in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil, and 935 00:56:29,200 --> 00:56:32,480 Speaker 1: we on every expedition, on every sorry dive in the submersible, 936 00:56:32,920 --> 00:56:36,200 Speaker 1: we I guess they were attracted by the by by 937 00:56:36,239 --> 00:56:39,400 Speaker 1: the vibration, the noise, the lights, I don't know, but 938 00:56:39,400 --> 00:56:42,800 Speaker 1: but on every single dive we were joined by huge 939 00:56:43,440 --> 00:56:47,280 Speaker 1: six girls sharks. And there are sharks that predominantly stay 940 00:56:47,360 --> 00:56:49,839 Speaker 1: in the deep ocean and can get to really really 941 00:56:49,880 --> 00:56:53,200 Speaker 1: big sizes, and so that was super exciting to be 942 00:56:53,280 --> 00:56:56,920 Speaker 1: able to see those you know, in their in their habitat. 943 00:56:57,719 --> 00:56:59,520 Speaker 1: And then I'll end, I guess with like a funny 944 00:56:59,560 --> 00:57:02,600 Speaker 1: fact for from all the kids is that you know, 945 00:57:03,080 --> 00:57:06,160 Speaker 1: you when you go down and submersible. It's the most 946 00:57:06,320 --> 00:57:10,279 Speaker 1: crazy experience. And I'm sure in your lifetimes people will 947 00:57:10,320 --> 00:57:14,040 Speaker 1: be able to do that when they go on holiday. Right. Um, 948 00:57:14,200 --> 00:57:19,000 Speaker 1: But things that people don't really think about that there's 949 00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:24,200 Speaker 1: no toilet on submersible. In fact, like it's so small 950 00:57:24,440 --> 00:57:28,160 Speaker 1: that you know you're usually touching the two other people 951 00:57:28,240 --> 00:57:29,760 Speaker 1: that you're in there with, and you may not know 952 00:57:29,880 --> 00:57:33,720 Speaker 1: them very well, right, So just something to ponder when 953 00:57:33,800 --> 00:57:36,040 Speaker 1: sometimes you're in there for like nine hours, what do 954 00:57:36,080 --> 00:57:41,640 Speaker 1: you do? Right? So yeah, yeah, that's that's a kind 955 00:57:41,640 --> 00:57:46,600 Speaker 1: of my my. Yeah. Fun, So you pose the question, 956 00:57:46,640 --> 00:57:51,760 Speaker 1: but you don't answer it. I can answer it, but yeah, 957 00:57:52,360 --> 00:57:54,560 Speaker 1: I'm just figured we'd leave it up to them. Some 958 00:57:54,640 --> 00:58:01,640 Speaker 1: think well that this has been so wonderful. Thank you 959 00:58:01,760 --> 00:58:05,040 Speaker 1: so much for joining us today. My absolute pleasure. This 960 00:58:05,080 --> 00:58:07,680 Speaker 1: has been really really fun. All right, So there you 961 00:58:07,760 --> 00:58:11,800 Speaker 1: have it. Thanks again to Dr Diva Aimon for coming 962 00:58:11,800 --> 00:58:14,360 Speaker 1: on the show chatting with us again. If you want 963 00:58:14,360 --> 00:58:16,760 Speaker 1: to check out more about her work, you can check 964 00:58:16,760 --> 00:58:20,520 Speaker 1: out our website. That's a great first stop. Uh, it's 965 00:58:20,560 --> 00:58:23,160 Speaker 1: a diva Aman dot com. It's d I v A 966 00:58:23,160 --> 00:58:26,480 Speaker 1: a m o in. She's also on social media. We're 967 00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:29,520 Speaker 1: going to make sure that our accounts are are linking 968 00:58:29,560 --> 00:58:32,240 Speaker 1: to hers on the various social platforms where we're sharing 969 00:58:32,280 --> 00:58:35,920 Speaker 1: this episode. That's right, so huge, Thanks as always of 970 00:58:35,920 --> 00:58:38,600 Speaker 1: course to Dr Diva Amon for joining us today, but 971 00:58:38,720 --> 00:58:42,680 Speaker 1: also to our excellent audio producers Alex Williams and Tary Harrison. 972 00:58:43,080 --> 00:58:44,560 Speaker 1: If you would like to get in touch with us 973 00:58:44,600 --> 00:58:48,280 Speaker 1: directly with feedback on this episode, Uh, to suggest a 974 00:58:48,320 --> 00:58:50,840 Speaker 1: topic for the future, to suggest a guest for the future, 975 00:58:51,000 --> 00:58:53,360 Speaker 1: for just to say hello. You can email us at 976 00:58:53,840 --> 00:59:05,920 Speaker 1: contact at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. Stuff 977 00:59:05,960 --> 00:59:07,880 Speaker 1: to Blow Your Mind is a production of iHeart Radio's 978 00:59:07,880 --> 00:59:10,240 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 979 00:59:10,320 --> 00:59:13,080 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 980 00:59:13,080 --> 00:59:26,280 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.