005 - Storytelling with author Susan Casey

We are still talking about Antarctica, the continent that keeps on giving! Alan and Thom discuss trying to stop working momentarily, constructing a treehouse, and acquiring a shark. In the news, we rattle off a list of newly discovered species with some very cool (but hard to pronounce) names. There has been a lot of squiddy news. Footage of divers swimming with a giant squid has resurfaced; in an exclusive for the podcast, Alan has recorded more amazing Magnapinna (bigfin or elbow squid) footage. And the biggest bit of news: the colossal squid has been seen alive in its natural habitat for the first time! Thom and Kat were part of the press conference. Megalodon (the not-deep-sea and very extinct shark) has been reassessed based on what we do know. It was likely longer and slimmer than we thought, and we have estimations for their speed and size at birth. We also have a new coelacanth population and a classic car found in the deep.   For this month's interview, we speak with Devin Harrison - Marine Geoscientist/Postdoctoral Researcher at Kelpie Geoscience - Devin is a postdoctoral research fellow at Kelpie Geoscience. His research utilises high-resolution topographic models of the seafloor and complementary geophysical and geospatial datasets to understand the geomorphic evolution and process landform relationship of the deep sea and the continental shelves. Devin is particularly interested in the glacial geomorphological record and the evolution of glacial environments from the last glacial maximum (~20-25 thousand years ago) to the present day.   We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining, so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Elena Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here!   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  BlueSky: @deepseapod.com Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Instagram: @deepsea_podcast   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com   Follow Kat on  Bluesky: @autsquidsquad.bsky.social Twitter: @ALCESonline   Reference list News New Species A new species of hound shark from the northern Indian ocean, Iago goplakrishnani   New genus and species of feather duster worm from the hydrocarbon seeps in the Gulf of Mexico. – Seepicola viridiplumi Five new trench isopods in the Haploniscus belyaevi complex. And a new dumbo octopis, Grimpoteuthis feitiana   Megalodon New paper on the meg Tyler Greenfield’s blog   Divers swim with giant squid Divers Encounter a Live Giant Squid Swimming on the Ocean Surface https://youtu.be/gZxGGQc_hRI?si=ZmRhwaIF2T9RV-Lk – original video   The colossal squid has been seen! Original video with Kat’s voiceover Kat’s piece in The Conversation   Deep-sea classic car   Interview Dowdeswell, J.A., Canals, M., Jakobsson, M., Todd, B.J., Dowdeswell, E.K. and Hogan, K. (eds.), 2016. Atlas of Submarine Glacial Landforms: Modern, Quaternary and Ancient, The Geological Society of London, London. vol. 46, 618pp. doi:10.1144/M46.   Batchelor, C.L., Christie, F.D.W., Ottesen, D., Montelli, A., Evans, J., Dowdeswell, E.K., Bjarnadóttir, L.R. and Dowdeswell, J.A., 2023. Rapid, buoyancy-driven ice-sheet retreat of hundreds of metres per day. Nature, vol. 617, issue 7959, p.105-110. Doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05876-1.     Smith, J.A., Graham, A.G.C., Post, A.L. et al. The marine geological imprint of Antarctic ice shelves. Nat Commun 10, 5635 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13496-5   Seafloor surficial sediment variability across the abyssal plains of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1527469/full   Credits Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image: Lance Wordsworth (Inkfish Media) Song of the month: The Midnight Zone by SLADE

3 Mai 56min

It’s the last in our run of episodes about Antarctica. We are all back home, and we promise to stop bothering the poor continent.   Thom couldn’t talk about it until after the press release, but the Schmidt Ocean Institute cruise he was on had to look at the seabed under a 150-meter-thick ice shelf right as it moved out of the way. We talked to the science leads on that cruise, Patricia Esquete and Sasha Montelli. We learned about the hydrography and glaciology of that region and then the seabed and communities that were revealed when the ice shelf moved away.   We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining, so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Ryker and Kerry Jowett  Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  BlueSky: @deepseapod.com https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com   Twitter: @DeepSeaPod https://twitter.com/DeepSeaPod   Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast https://www.facebook.com/DeepSeaPodcast   Instagram: @deepsea_podcast https://www.instagram.com/deepsea_podcast/   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com   Follow Sasha on Twitter: @sasha_montelli Reference list Smith, J.A., Graham, A.G.C., Post, A.L. et al. The marine geological imprint of Antarctic ice shelves. Nat Commun 10, 5635 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13496-5 Helen Amanda Fricker et al., Antarctica in 2025: Drivers of deep uncertainty in projected ice loss.Science387,601-609(2025).DOI:10.1126/science.adt9619 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt9619 Ingels, J., Aronson, R.B., Smith, C.R., Baco, A., Bik, H.M., Blake, J.A., Brandt, A., Cape, M., Demaster, D., Dolan, E. and Domack, E., 2021. Antarctic ecosystem responses following ice‐shelf collapse and iceberg calving: Science review and future research. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 12(1), p.e682. https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/am-pdf/10.1002/wcc.682   Challenger 150 - Home - Challenger 150   The Ocean Census | Discover Life   Credits Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

14 Apr 32min

It’s the last in our run of episodes about Antarctica. We are all back home, and we promise to stop bothering the poor continent. Alan and Thom discuss returning to an inbox of horrors and readjusting to time away. More cable cutting in our news updates, blobfish being voted fish of the year, and the tongue-eating louse potentially being invertebrate of the year. We don’t want to say we influence the news, but it seems a little spooky. Thom couldn’t talk about it until after the press release, but the Schmidt Ocean Institute cruise he was on had to look at the seabed under a 150-meter-thick ice shelf right as it moved out of the way. We talked to the science leads on that cruise, Patricia Esquete and Sasha Montelli. We learned about the hydrography and glaciology of that region and then the seabed and communities that were revealed when the ice shelf moved away. Kat and Thom updated us on what it was like to join a tourist expedition ship, and we grabbed a Coffee With Andrew to learn what it was like to dive almost 5km deep in a sub. You’re bound to leave this episode with a watery smile!   We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining, so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Ryker and Kerry Jowett  Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  BlueSky: @deepseapod.com https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com   Twitter: @DeepSeaPod https://twitter.com/DeepSeaPod   Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast https://www.facebook.com/DeepSeaPodcast   Instagram: @deepsea_podcast https://www.instagram.com/deepsea_podcast/   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com   Follow Sasha on Twitter: @sasha_montelli   Follow Kat on  Bluesky: @autsquidsquad.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/autsquidsquad.bsky.social Twitter: @ALCESonline https://x.com/ALCESonline     Reference list News Cable cutting https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/545872/the-new-threat-to-the-undersea-cables-keeping-our-internet-going https://www.submarinecablemap.com/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct7yqx   Blobfish fish of the year https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360621538/worlds-ugliest-animal-named-new-zealands-fish-year   Invertebrate of the year ‘Unique and important’: Tongue-biting louse is wonderfully gruesome | Marine life | The Guardian   Interview Smith, J.A., Graham, A.G.C., Post, A.L. et al. The marine geological imprint of Antarctic ice shelves. Nat Commun 10, 5635 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13496-5 Helen Amanda Fricker et al., Antarctica in 2025: Drivers of deep uncertainty in projected ice loss.Science387,601-609(2025).DOI:10.1126/science.adt9619 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt9619 Ingels, J., Aronson, R.B., Smith, C.R., Baco, A., Bik, H.M., Blake, J.A., Brandt, A., Cape, M., Demaster, D., Dolan, E. and Domack, E., 2021. Antarctic ecosystem responses following ice‐shelf collapse and iceberg calving: Science review and future research. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 12(1), p.e682. https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/am-pdf/10.1002/wcc.682   Challenger 150 - Home - Challenger 150   The Ocean Census | Discover Life   Other Journal Minerva – Diving into Relevance: How Deep Sea Researchers Articulate Societal Relevance within their Epistemic Living Spaces s11024-025-09577-z.pdf   Credits Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute creative commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

7 Apr 1h 16min

Coming to you from an Airbnb, above a ski hire shop, next to a construction site in Ushuia, Argentina… It’s a very special episode as we continue to pester Antarctica. We are here for today is a very special birthday. Our favorite and most elusive colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, has been described for 100 years but never seen in its natural environment! We are having a birthday bash for the big girl. Joined by Kat Bolstad of the Auckland University of Technology, Squid Squad, we learn what we do and don’t know, as well as the project Thom and Kat came up with to try to find it.   We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining, so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Luz, Caro Mclaren, Tadhg, Austin Horenkamp, Thora, Lindsey and Harrison   Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast Instagram: @deepsea_podcast Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  BlueSky: Thom - @deepseapod.com   Follow Kat on  Bluesky: @autsquidsquad.bsky.social Twitter: @ALCESonline Reference list Interview Original colossal squid description Pure Ocean Fund Intrepid Travel Auckland Aquarium - SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium Us testing the camera in the aquarium Mantis Sub underwater housings https://www.mantis-sub.com/ Otago University and the NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust Importance in sperm whale diet Colossal and giant squid eyes Toothfish predation by colossal squid one and two Whales vs squid arms race Ceph Ref and GoFundMe Glossery Umwelt - the sensory world an animal lives in. Intraspecific - between the same species Interspecific - between different species    Credits Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image: Thom Linley Happy birthday: The guests aboard the Ocean Endeavour

14 Mar 25min

Coming to you from an Airbnb, above a ski hire shop, next to a construction site in Ushuia, Argentina… It’s a very special episode as we continue to pester Antarctica. Alan checks in from Barcelona for mysterious reasons. We’ll have to get the truth our of him in the future…   Lots is going on in the news; deep-sea fish keep turning up, including a little Melanocetus anglerfish - sometimes called a black seadevil. This has had a real impact on people. The media tried to call it a monster, but the people fell for this little fish. An orfish, the doomsday fish, also turns up, but is that really a sign of doom? There’s a new giant isopod, and it’s named after Darth Vader - Bathy-normouse! We get excited about Beryllium-10 and ponder neutrinos.  But what we are here for today is a very special birthday. Our favorite and most elusive colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, has been described for 100 years but never seen in its natural environment! We are having a birthday bash for the big girl. Joined by Kat Bolstad of the Auckland University of Technology, Squid Squad, we learn what we do and don’t know, as well as the project Thom and Kat came up with to try to find it.   We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining, so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Luz, Caro Mclaren, Tadhg, Austin Horenkamp, Thora, Lindsey and Harrison   Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast Instagram: @deepsea_podcast Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  BlueSky: Thom - @deepseapod.com   Follow Kat on  Bluesky: @autsquidsquad.bsky.social Twitter: @ALCESonline Reference list News Anglerfish New York Times Today Beetle Moses cartoon   Orfish Stranding Doomsday fish paper   Vader isopod   Radioactive blip   KM3Net Interview Original colossal squid description Pure Ocean Fund Intrepid Travel Auckland Aquarium - SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium Us testing the camera in the aquarium Mantis Sub underwater housings https://www.mantis-sub.com/ Otago University and the NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust Importance in sperm whale diet Colossal and giant squid eyes Toothfish predation by colossal squid one and two Whales vs squid arms race Ceph Ref and GoFundMe Glossery Umwelt - the sensory world an animal lives in. Intraspecific - between the same species Interspecific - between different species    Credits Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image: Thom Linley Happy birthday: The guests aboard the Ocean Endeavour Poem: One of our patrons, Tadhg   Timestamps/ chapters 00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:55 - News 00:21:35 - Interview - Colossal squid 01:08:00 - Outro

7 Mar 1h 10min

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 55. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be! Read the show notes and find the full episode here: https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/055-antarcticfishes   Now it’s Thom’s turn to hit Antarctica. He’s out with the Schmidt Ocean Institute on the Antarctic Climate Connections expedition to the Bellinghousen Sea, to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula.  He will record, edit and upload a podcast from there… somehow. This episode may sound a little rougher as a result, but the content is gold as ever… Underrated belter alert.   We talk to Antarctic fishes expert Thomas Desvignes about the fishes that are only found there and their amazing adaptations. Of course, we also have a remote coffee with Andrew.   We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Instagram: @deepsea_podcast,   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  BlueSky: Thom - @deepseapod.com   Reference list Guest Antifreeze in fish: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.94.8.3811 Supercooling and heating processes: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1410256111 Cod antifreeze: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1817138116 X-cell disease paper: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)00860-4 Hemoglobin paper: https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/40/11/msad236/7329987 The new species of dragonfish: https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5501.2.3 Nesting in notothenioids: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/faf.12523 Icefish nest colony:  https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)01698-5   And the three comics: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/antarcticfishdiversity/ https://blogs.uoregon.edu/antarcticxcell/ https://blogs.uoregon.edu/fishsexdetermination/   Follow Thomas on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/notothentoma.bsky.social   Credits Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

15 Feb 32min

The gang has swapped places, Alan is back in Perth and now it’s Thom’s turn to hit Antarctica. He’s out with the Schmidt Ocean Institute on the Antarctic Climate Connections expedition to the Bellinghousen Sea, to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula.  He will record, edit and upload a podcast from there… somehow. This episode may sound a little rougher as a result, but the content is gold as ever… Underrated belter alert.   The Prof managed to have some downtime with the family in Antarctica and has some great stories to tell, he’s a chopper guy now. He’s over subs and only into helicopters now… the subs of the sky.    We talk to Antarctic fishes expert Thomas Desvignes about the fishes that are only found there and their amazing adaptations. Of course, we also have a remote coffee with Andrew.   We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Instagram: @deepsea_podcast,   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Instagram:  Thom - @thom.linley  BlueSky: Thom - @deepseapod.com   Reference list News Cable damage https://bbc.com/news/articles/cqx9g5wwp89o   Vessel named after Don https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2025/01/11/naval-ships-named-after-explorers-don-walsh-and-victor-vescovo/   Antarctic ice melting dynamics https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-marine-040323-074354 https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/antarctica/how-is-the-ocean-melting-antarctica-were-starting-to-figure-it-out   Guest Antifreeze in fish: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.94.8.3811 Supercooling and heating processes: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1410256111 Cod antifreeze: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1817138116 X-cell disease paper: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)00860-4 Hemoglobin paper: https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/40/11/msad236/7329987 The new species of dragonfish: https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5501.2.3 Nesting in notothenioids: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/faf.12523 Icefish nest colony:  https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)01698-5   And the three comics: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/antarcticfishdiversity/ https://blogs.uoregon.edu/antarcticxcell/ https://blogs.uoregon.edu/fishsexdetermination/   Follow Thomas on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/notothentoma.bsky.social   Credits Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image: Thom Linley Song of the month: Five Magics by Megadeath

8 Feb 1h 17min

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 54. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be! Read the show notes and find the full episode here: https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/054-antarctica   It’s a big one! With The Professor down in Antarctica and Dr Thom not too far behind him, we’ve got an update live from the field. We’re talking about Antarctic submarine dives, below-freezing trenches, unexpected uses of glacial ice and, of course, the importance of growing a beard… But they’re not alone! This month we’re joined by the incredible Shaylyn Potter (Marine Scientist, Sub Pilot and polar diver) as she talks us through the intricacies and unique nature of this environment. We learn about what makes an iceberg different from a bergy bit (yes, that’s a real word), and why plans don’t always go as planned in the south.   We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us!   Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic  Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic Bluesky: @@deepseapodcast.bsky.social   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke (https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke) Thom - @ThomLinley (https://twitter.com/ThomLinley)  Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://twitter.com/geeinthesea)    Instagram:  Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://www.instagram.com/geeinthesea/)  Thom - @thom.linley (https://www.instagram.com/thom.linley/)   Or Bluesky: Thom: https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com   Read the show notes and find out more about us at: www.armatusoceanic.com   People mentioned Shaylyn Potter Kat Bolstad --------------------------------------------------------- Credits Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED Logo Edited by - Georgia Wells

10 Jan 30min