PodcastsLife SciencesThe Deep-Sea Podcast

The Deep-Sea Podcast

Thomas Linley
The Deep-Sea Podcast
Latest episode

140 episodes

  • The Deep-Sea Podcast

    Deep-Sea Career Spotlight with Dr. Nigel Merrett

    21/03/2026 | 57 mins.
    Episode Summary
    This month on the Deep-Sea Podcast, we are joined by Dr Nigel Merrett for a career spotlight episode highlighting his pioneering research, genre-defining technological advancements and personal connections with some of the most well-known names in the deep-sea research community.

     

    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! 

     

    This month, Thom is in Antarctica, trying to lure a giant squid into his research gear, and Alan is headed back to the Canary Islands after an international skirmish scuttled his travel plans. Our guest this month is Dr. Nigel Merrett, a British zoologist, ichthyologist, and former director of the fish section of the British Natural History Museum. In our first career spotlight episode we shine a light on Nigel’s incredible and adventurous past, including working on the last British whaling ship, developing ground-breaking gear that is still used today, and working with some of the most impactful names in deep-sea history. Nigel shines a light on his incredible past, the importance of his work, and how we can all build on the work of others to advance science once step at a time. 

     

    In the news, get ready for updates on:

    A massive cold-water coral reef off the coast of Argentina

    Crowdsourcing a new species name

    New research on deep-sea fish eyes

    Parasitic Barnacles

    Antarctic sleeper shark

     

    We hear from Meghan Jones, cofounder of the Unseen Ocean Collective, with an update on the Juneau, Alaska, show, and the upcoming show and public events happening in Spokane, Washington, in April  of 2026.

    Discord update

    A common toad Valentine’s Day Party

    Branching snakes, and mystery gremlins. 

    Museum dinosaur exhibits

    Parasitic louse mouth orgies

    Probability of Alan being a robot

    Support the show
    The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. 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:

    Maxim

    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:

    [email protected]

    We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone!

    https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail

    Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

     

    Find out more
    Social media
    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

     Alan @hadalbloke

     

    Reference list
    News 
    Deep-Sea News

    Deep Below Argentina's Coast, Researchers Filmed Coral Cities, Rare Sea Ghost, and Something Out of Place

    8,000 Suggestions Later, a Newly Discovered Deep-Sea Species Gets Its Name

    Scientists discover a completely new life form wreaking havoc on deep-sea sharks

    On the Origin of a Novel Parasitic-Feeding Mode within Suspension-Feeding Barnacles - ScienceDirect

    Shark filmed in Antarctica for the first time | Polar Journal

     

    Discord Updates
    Unseen Ocean Collective Juneau Exhibit

    Video of the Unseen Ocean Juneau Alaska Show

    All the Fish Names Entymology Podcast

    BBC Audio | In Our Time | The Mariana Trench

    Interview Links

    The Whalefish Mystery | 

    Deep Sea Demersal Fish and Fisheries

    Nigel Merret Wikipedia

    WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Careproctus merretti Andriashev & Chernova, 1988

    Historical Perspective Paper: Dan Morris Cohen

    Credits
    Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
  • The Deep-Sea Podcast

    PRESSURISED: 066 – Hadal Zone Master Class with Professor Alan Jamieson

    15/02/2026 | 44 mins.
    Welcome to the PRESSURISED version of episode 66. Just the science, none of the chit-chat. 
    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! 

     

    Our guest this month is the one, the only, Prof. Alan Jamieson! Join our most favorite deep-sea professor, who takes us on a tour of the very bottom of the deepest of deep-sea. Get ready for a hot take on the past, present and future of this frontier science, while we “turn our backs to the shallow water”- Alan. 

     

    Support the show
    The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. 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:

    Melissa M

    Undersea TV

    Max

    Frieda of Moku Art Studio 

     

    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:

    [email protected]

    We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone!

    https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail

    Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

     

    Find out more
    Social media
    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

     Alan @hadalbloke

     

    Reference list
    Interview Links
    Volcanic deposits on the Tonga forearc and trench: new insights from direct seafloor observations

    Deep ocean seascape ecology: gaps and pathways for application

    Geomorphology and bait-attending hadal fauna of the sui-shin hole (Philippine Basin, NW Pacific; 5616–6410 m) - ScienceDirect

    Bottom mixed layer derivation and spatial variability over the central and eastern abyssal Pacific Ocean

    Credits
    Logo image: Alan Jamieson

    Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
  • The Deep-Sea Podcast

    Hadal Zone Master Class with Professor Alan Jamieson

    31/01/2026 | 1h 18 mins.
    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! 

     

    This month Alan makes it back to Perth for another of Old Mate’s sausage sizzles, and Thom is deep into prep mode for his upcoming Antarctica trip. We talk about video games, an Australian classic song of the month, glycerin mega mouth sharks and polar bear patrols. Our guest this month is the one, the only, Prof. Alan Jamieson! Join our most favorite deep-sea professor, who takes us on a tour of the very bottom of the deepest of deep-sea. Get ready for a hot take on the past, present and future of this frontier science, while we “turn our backs to the shallow water”- Alan. 

     

    In the news, get ready for updates on:
     

    Microplastic and Copepod gut tracts

    Rare Phantom Jelly footage

    An Arctic Deep-sea oasis

    A surprise source of hydrogen for the deep-sea

    The King-of-the-salmon visits the surface waters 

     

    We hear from Meghan Jones, cofounder of the Unseen Ocean Collective with a fun Q&A about upcoming events in Juneau Alaska and Spokane Washington, 2026. 

    Discord update

    Deep-sea dating articles

    Deep-Sea Valentine game

    Book recommendations and ROV highlight reels

    Squid hats in the wild.

    Whale-fall tattoos

    Support the show
    The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. 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:

    Melissa M

    Undersea TV

    Max

    Frieda of Moku Art Studio 

     

    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:

    [email protected]

    We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone!

    https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail

    Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

     

    Find out more
    Social media
    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

     Alan @hadalbloke

     

    Reference list
    News 
    Deep-Sea News

    Study Records Zooplankton Transporting Microplastics to the Deep Sea

    Real-time visualization reveals copepod mediated microplastic flux - ScienceDirect

    Deep-Sea Divers Capture Rare Footage of a Giant Phantom Jellyfish | PetaPixel

    Schmidt Ocean Institute Phantom Jellyfish Footage

    Scientists just found 'deep-sea oasis' in an Arctic region thought to be barren

    Deep-sea vents are drawing hydrogen from a hidden source - Earth.com

    California Diver Spots Rare Deep-Sea King-Of-The-Salmon Just 4.6 Meters Below The Surface

    Discord Updates
    These Deep-Sea Creatures Liked You on Hinge - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency

    Deep-Sea Valentine Game

    Unseen Ocean Collective

    Unseen Ocean Collective Website

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

    Unseen Ocean Collective on BlueSky

    Free Deep-Sea Coloring Pages

    Interview Links
    Volcanic deposits on the Tonga forearc and trench: new insights from direct seafloor observations

    Deep ocean seascape ecology: gaps and pathways for application

    Geomorphology and bait-attending hadal fauna of the sui-shin hole (Philippine Basin, NW Pacific; 5616–6410 m) - ScienceDirect

    Bottom mixed layer derivation and spatial variability over the central and eastern abyssal Pacific Ocean

    Credits
    Song of the month: Smoko by The Chats

    Logo image: Alan Jamieson

    Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
  • The Deep-Sea Podcast

    PRESSURISED: 065 – Giant Testate Protists with Professor Andrew Gooday

    18/01/2026 | 42 mins.
    Welcome to the PRESSURISED version of episode 65, just the science, none of the waffle
     

    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! 

     

    This month, we are talking giant testate protists, the coolest things you have probably never heard of. Giant cells on the deep seabed that can reach 20 cm or more. They build elaborate shells, and despite having known about them for hundreds of years, there are still loads we don't understand about them.

    Support the show
    The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. 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.

     

    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:

    [email protected]

    We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone!

    https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail

    Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

     

    Find out more
    Social media
    BlueSky: @deepseapod.com

    https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com

     

    Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

    https://twitter.com/DeepSeaPod

     

    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 

    Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions

    BlueSky:
    Thom @thomaslinley.com

     Alan @hadalbloke

    Reference list
    Interview Links
    Paleodictyon - Wikipedia

     

    Paleodictyon nodosum: A living fossil on the deep-sea floor

     

    Massive occurrence of a new soft-walled monothalamous foraminifer, Bathyallogromia brandtae n.sp., in the hadal Aleutian trench

     

    An Integrative Taxonomic Survey of Benthic Foraminiferal Species (Protista, Rhizaria) from the Eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone

    Credits
    Logo image: NOAA public domain

    Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
  • The Deep-Sea Podcast

    Giant Testate Protists with Professor Andrew Gooday

    09/01/2026 | 1h 7 mins.
    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! 

     

    Thom and Alan discuss Christmas from opposite ends of the planet, where Alan gets ‘proper’ Christmas in Scotland with snow and everything. At the opposite end, Thom insists on using his new BBQ, despite a rainstorm turning the air to liquid.

    The exhibit that Thom was curating, Breathe | Mauri Ora at Te Papa, is an examination of the intersection of science and art by Marshmallow Lazer Feast. It is open now if you find yourself in Wellington, New Zealand.

     

    This month, we are talking giant testate protists, the coolest things you have probably never heard of. Giant cells on the deep seabed that can reach 20 cm or more. They build elaborate shells, and despite having known about them for hundreds of years, there are still loads we don't understand about them.

    In the news, get ready for updates on:

    Squids hiding under the sea floor, pretending to be plants

    A rare seven-armed octopus sighting

    Deep-sea art that highlights the effects of coral dredging

    Missing zombie worms and expanding oxygen minimum zones

    New Whale Tags helping with deep-sea data recovery

    A massive white skate nursery and Canada’s first hydrothermal site

     

    Discord update

    The Deep-Sea Pets Channel continues to give back with excellent photos of our fav friends

    Our Holiday party was a total success, with many episodes of Octonauts watched and ‘enjoyed’ by all

    We assessed some of the ‘animal saving’ videos, as discussed by Tyler on the Mythbusting AI episode. 

    Excellent Dragon-based book recommendations. 

    We all wished we could visit Thom’s New show opening at Te Papa.

    Thom shared a beautiful video about Antarctica from his Falkor Too trip last year. 

    Planning a Time Machine to scuba dive ancient seas, study the squid therein, and then hop on a boat trip with Darwin. 

    TBOS and KBOS brushes of science versus various squid photos. 

    Compared holiday baking recipes 

    Photos and observations shared from SOA divestream viewing

    And, as always, vicarious travel to aquariums around the world!

    Support the show
    The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. 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.

     

    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:

    [email protected]

    We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone!

    https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail

    Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

     

    Find out more
    Social media
    BlueSky: @deepseapod.com

    https://bsky.app/profile/deepseapod.com

     

    Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

    https://twitter.com/DeepSeaPod

     

    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 

    Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions

    BlueSky:
    Thom @thomaslinley.com

     Alan @hadalbloke

    Reference list
    News 
    Deep Sea Valentines | Support Skype a Scientist with the Squid Facts shop!

     

    Deep-Sea News

    Unknown species of squid spotted burying itself upside down, pretending to be a plant

    Rarely-Seen Seven-Arm 'Blob' Octopus Filmed by Underwater Camera | PetaPixel

    Former submarine pilot's art highlights the deep sea | Hawai'i Public Radio

    Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) | Kerby Illustrations

    Zombie worms are missing and scientists are alarmed | ScienceDaily

    Whale tag will help decode communication in the deep ocean - Earth.com

    Scientists Uncover Massive Deep-Sea Eggs Inside on Active Volcano Thought to Be Extinct for Centuries

     

    Discord Updates
    Inside Breathe: Mauri Ora at Te Papa | RNZ

    Crossing the Divide | Climate Connections at the Ice-Sea Interface

    Interview Links
    Paleodictyon - Wikipedia

     

    Paleodictyon nodosum: A living fossil on the deep-sea floor

     

    Massive occurrence of a new soft-walled monothalamous foraminifer, Bathyallogromia brandtae n.sp., in the hadal Aleutian trench

     

    An Integrative Taxonomic Survey of Benthic Foraminiferal Species (Protista, Rhizaria) from the Eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone

    Credits
    Song of the month: It is that deep, bro by Matt Storer

    Logo image: NOAA public domain

    Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

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About The Deep-Sea Podcast

A couple of deep-sea scientists talk everything deep sea! Interesting facts, recent news, myth-busting and interviews with the most interesting people we know.
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