032 - Whale falls with Craig Smith

The Deep-Sea Podcast

This month is a fun one (maybe not if you love cetaceans) as we’re covering whale falls! That’s right, dead whales and the ecosystems they create on the seafloor. Professor Craig Smith joins us to talk all about the stages of decomposition, the key species that whale falls support, and some truly wild tales from the high seas.

We finally answer the big question, what smells worse: a dead whale or a dead deep-sea sponge? The answer might not be what you expect. We also hear from a couple friends of the show, including Shelly, who may have found one of the earliest comparisons of the moon and the deep sea, and Otis, who talks us through his research on the back of our last episode on hydrothermal vents.

In other news, consuming deep-sea water lowers cholesterol (this one is definitely, absolutely, 100% true), there’s a new deep-sea documentary premiering at Sundance and we made our first 30p (and a pint)! This newfound success has pushed us to release another Deco-Stop episode on neurodiversity in science, coming to you next month!

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Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...

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Glossary

Blubber - The fat of sea mammals.

Cadaverine - A compound formed in the decay of animal proteins after death.

Cetacean - The scientific name for whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Chemoautotrophic - Obtains energy through chemical reactions rather than light.

Hagfish - An eel-shaped, slime-producing fish.

Hydroxyapatite - A mineral which makes up whale bones.

Osedax - A family of “bone-eating” worms which are often found feasting on whale bones.

Putracene - A compound formed in the decay of animal proteins after death.

Purse seine netting - A vertical net ‘curtain’ which can be drawn together to enclose the whale.

Sleeper sharks - Family: Somniosidae. Slow-moving sharks which can be seen feeding on whale falls.

Stoneley waves - A boundary wave (or interface wave) that typically propagates along a solid-solid interface.

Links

Craig’s research group

Craig's article on whale fall ecology (2003)

‘Rare’ deep-sea fish turns out to not be rare at all

A news article and published paper on how glass sponges could provide treatment against Covid-19

A new deep-sea video game has just been released called “Surviving the Abyss”

Deep Rising, the film featuring and produced by Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, has had its premiere at Sundance Film Festival

We released a piece in The Conversation on the Moon Analogy

Otis Brunner’s twitter

Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - New York Percussion Trio

Youtube

Spotify

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image

Image courtesy of NOAA

#whalefalls #whalefall #whalefallecosystems #osedax #Podcast #SciComm #Science #MarineBiology #DeepSea #DeepOcean #AlanJamieson #Donwalsh #ThomasLinley #craigsmith #discovery #scicomm #submarine # #biodiversity #deepseacreatures #boneeatingworms #zombieworms #fossils #sundance #deepseamining #jasonmomoa