PRESSURISED: 026 – Vision in the deep sea with Justin Marshall

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 26. 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/026-vision

After recovering from you-know-what last episode, we’re excited to complete our open-water/pelagic trilogy with this week’s guest Professor Justin Marshall. Justin is an expert on all things vision, and talks us through all of the intricacies and oddities of vision in the deep sea. We discuss how fish eyes have evolved in order to adapt to the darkness of the deep, and how exactly they are able to see bioluminescence. Justin’s research has been highly influential, so we ask him more about his discoveries of mantis shrimp vision, and how he found out that cephalopods were colour-blind!

We also couldn’t let him leave without getting some of the stories from his time living in the underwater habitat for weeks, and how this led to somewhat horrifying fungal consequences.

The deep sea has seen a flurry of activity this month with lots of news to cover! MBARI has released a fascinating new video of a deep-sea squid brooding eggs. We cover some more paleo-news with surprising historical deep-sea temperatures and the discovery of new brine pools in the Red Sea.

It wouldn’t be the Deep-Sea Podcast without checking in with Don Walsh as he talks us through the history of submarine windows. And we also hear from a listener and find out how snailfish got their name.

Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.

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

Glossary

Abyssopelagic – open water 4-6 km (13,000 to 20,000 ft) deep

Bathypelagic – also known as the midnight zone, open water roughly 1-4 km (3,300-13,000 ft) deep

Bathytheuthis berryi – A deep sea squid which has been observed brooding eggs

Euphotic zone – the surface and well-illuminated zone

Hadalpelagic – open water >6 km deep

Mesopelagic – also called the twilight zone, starts where 1% of light reaches and ends where there is none, roughly 200-1,000 m (656-3,280 ft) deep

Pelagic – open ocean, away from the shore and the bottom

Photic zone – the depth that light penetrates

Rod/Cone cells – two types of photoreceptors which are used by animals to detect light to be able to ‘see’.

Underwater habitat – A structure created to allow people to live underwater for extended periods. Often used for research by aquatic biologists.

Links

Justin's Research Group

News article on the historical temperatures of the deep Atlantic ocean as warm as the Mediterranean

Original article published in Science on the historical Mediterranean-like temps of the deep sea

MBARI capture incredible video of a brooding squid, Bathytheuthis berryi

New brine pool discovered in the Red Sea

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220712102631.htm

Scientists discover the reason why deep-sea corals fluoresce

The ‘milky’ Java sea is caught on camera

Justin’s article on cephalopod colouration and sensitivity to light

Credits

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

Logo image

Justin's Research Group