Bioluminescent Symbiosis with Margaret McFall-Ngai

Episode Summary

In our newest episode, Bioluminescent Symbiosis, we speak with Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai, an animal physiologist and biochemist about her work with the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) and its partner, the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri. McFall-Ngai provides a great synopsis of how this stable beneficial relationship not only creates light, and supports the bobtail maturation, but can also help us understand what could be going on in the light organs of deep-sea animals.

Check out our lovely new website where you can find more detailed notes, images and links to the wider reading.

In this episode…

Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!

The Professor is jetsetting as always, back in Edinburgh after a stint getting all the equipment ready in the Canary Island and is now happily being confused with professional racecar drivers. He will be back in Perth shortly to celebrate the Deep-Sea center paper publishing streak and reconnect with his Capybara spirit animal.

Thom is being called out in New Zealand Parliament, for all the right reasons, and he spent some Deep-Sea conference time in China, avoiding typhoons and pondering science ideas.

We are also celebrating 300,000 podcast downloads of the podcast, and appreciate our fans immensely!

Our guest this month is Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai, an animal physiologist and biochemist who is a staff researcher at Carnegie Institution for Science’s Division of Biosphere Sciences and Engineering, with her lab stationed at the California Institute of Technology in Biology and Biological Engineering. Dr. McFal-Ngai talks us through her work on the stable beneficial relationship between the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) and its partner, the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri. Although technically not a deep-sea species, this relationship and its details might help us understand how deep-sea life creates bioluminescence and the possible life cycle impacts for the creatures involved.

In the news, get ready for updates on:

• Plenty of Science and Art collaboration news including a new collective, social media feeds and an opportunity for scientists to connect with artists.
• Toxic Yellow worms, bright pink snailfish, and chewbacca corals.
• An immensely important treaty ratification with worldwide impact.
• Headteeth, yes you read that right.

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On the Discord, we’ve been busy with:

• Bobtail squid fostercare
• New Boardgame recommendations
• Needle felting
• New community papers and a Juicy Booty Starfish

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Reference list News

Links from Friends of the Show:

Skype a Scientist

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Unseen Ocean Collective.

Unseen Ocean Collective (@unseenoceancollective) • Instagram photos and videos

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Swedish Biodiversity Symposium, 21 - 23 October 2025

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News

Deep-Sea Worm Produces Orpiment, a Toxic Yellow Pigment Used in Historical Art | Scientific American

Mānoa: Chewbacca coral: New deep-sea species spotted in waters off Hawai‘i, Mariana Trench | University of Hawaii News

Nations ratify the world's first treaty to protect international waters

Ghost sharks grow teeth on their heads to mate | ScienceDaily

Descriptions of Three Newly Discovered Abyssal Snailfishes (Liparidae) from the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Discord Updates

Applying Deep Learning to Quantify Drivers of Long-Term Ecological Change in a Swedish Marine Protected Area

Diatoms | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Juicy Booty Starfish

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Interview Links

A lasting symbiosis: how the Hawaiian bobtail squid finds and

keeps its bioluminescent bacterial partner

A lasting symbiosis: how Vibrio fischeri finds a squid partner

and persists within its natural host

Credits

Logo image: Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai

Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel