1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:09,959 Speaker 1: rain Stuff, Lauren voc obam here. Whoever it was that 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: first came upon the sharp, spiny body of a sea 4 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: urchin and said, Hey, let's crack this bad boy open 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: and see if the orange goo inside tastes good. Deserves 6 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: a gold medal in bravery and sheer determination. The sea 7 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: urchin is a small, spiny sea creature called a kindaderm. 8 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: Sea urchins, along with all members of the Philomicina dermata, 9 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 1: are found only in the ocean, a particularly unusual quality 10 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:36,639 Speaker 1: as a large number of aquatic animals tend to take 11 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: up residents in lakes and streams as well. Sea urchins 12 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: most often can be found in shallow water and even 13 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: carpet the sea floor in some areas. Commercial sea urchin 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: fishing began in Japan soon after World War Two, before 15 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: spreading to the entire Pacific rim by the nineteen seventies, 16 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: and within two more decades the practice would spread to 17 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: the Atlantic region. We spoke with Bob Stenic, professor of oceanography, 18 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: marine biology, and marine policy at the University of Maine. 19 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: He said the global peak and sea urchin harvests occurred 20 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: around and has declined ever since. In many places, it's 21 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,119 Speaker 1: a poster child example of over fishing. In the year 22 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 1: two thousand, twenty million pounds that's about nine million kilos 23 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,679 Speaker 1: of sea urchins were harvested in California and sold to 24 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: markets in Japan. But if you've never tried it, you 25 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: might be curious about what all the fuss is about. 26 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: We also spoke with David Glass, accomplished dessert chef, self 27 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: described sea urchin fanatic and father to the author of 28 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: today's episode. He has a few choice words, but it 29 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 1: comes to consuming these bizarre little creatures. Quote the brilliant 30 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: orange color, slightly fermented, aroma, and solidity, suggesting a catastrophic 31 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: explosion of flavor in your mouth. Proceed your first taste. 32 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: That first taste is sticky, oceanic, sweet and fermented, and 33 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: everything else that makes up the taste, known as umami. 34 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: Poetry starts to flood your brain. In Layman's terms, see 35 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: chin called uni in Japanese, tastes weird but fine. It's gooey, runny, funky, savory, 36 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: but with a hint of sweet and salt, with a 37 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 1: texture somewhere between an egg yolk and jello. It is 38 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: a very very unusual taste, but when prepared right provocative 39 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: after humans, The sea urchin's second biggest predator is one 40 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: of its own fellow aquinoderm that we're all familiar with, 41 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: the starfish. If you think starfish are beautiful, get ready 42 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: to be kind of horrified with this graphic nugget. The 43 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: starfish will wrap itself around the sea urchin, then evert 44 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: their stomach out of their body onto the sea urchin 45 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: in order to dissolve the shell with their gastric juices 46 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:43,239 Speaker 1: and eventually get to the tasty flesh within. And sea 47 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: urchin's own eating habits are just as fascinating. It has 48 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: a circle of five sharp teeth on the bottom of 49 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: its body and yes, this looks like something out of 50 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: Stranger Things that it uses to scrape algae and collect 51 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 1: kelp off of the rocks it lives on, and can 52 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: even use them to burrow into the rocks for a 53 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: better hold on the ocean floor or to make itself 54 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: a little hideaway. But they're not vegetarians. They'll eat other 55 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: animals or each other if they get the chance. Scientists 56 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,679 Speaker 1: also believe that some species of sea urchins don't age, 57 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: meaning they don't die unless they're killed by something, and 58 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: they don't lose the capacity to reproduce. Stenic said, a 59 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: sea urchin's body plan is pretty unique. One could say 60 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: it's a hollow limestone sphere made out of numerous hexagonal plates, 61 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 1: sort of like a geodisc dome, with spines that make 62 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 1: it look like a pincushion. They move slowly using numerous 63 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: small tubular section devices called tube feet. These tube feet 64 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: are strong muscles the protrude from the ends of the spines, 65 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: which they can attach to rocks or coral, allowing them 66 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: to move over the sea floor and those little spines. 67 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: Think of them as sharp feet that are just achin 68 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: to pierce your skin. While it's certainly not pleasant, Stenic 69 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: assures that stepping on a sea urchin is not deadly, 70 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 1: and he has to date never heard of a fatal 71 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: case to an accidental trampling. Still, if you're worried about 72 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: stepping on one of these guys, well maybe wear rubber 73 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: soled shoes and try not to prick on the feet 74 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: by one of these spines can cause damage to the 75 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: skin and sometimes even the bone inside a few species. 76 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 1: Spines can be venomous, but not so much that it 77 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: would be fatal to humans. The worst that can happen 78 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 1: is a potential allergic reaction or further injury from trying 79 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,560 Speaker 1: to remove the spine. Instead of tugging at it, use vinegar, 80 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: which will dissolve the spine and leave behind only the 81 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: distant memory of that time that you stepped on a 82 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: living pin cushion. So, whether you accidentally come upon these 83 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: spiny marine creatures on the sea floor via your foot, 84 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: or take a bit of its insides brushed with soy 85 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: sauce over rice, you really have to appreciate the sea 86 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: urchin for its unbroken commitment to staying weird. Today's episode 87 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: was written by Jeremy Glass and produced by Tyler Clang. 88 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:57,479 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is a production of I Heart Radio's How 89 00:04:57,520 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. For more in this and lots of other 90 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: weird topics, visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com, 91 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: and for more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the 92 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,839 Speaker 1: I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 93 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.