The sparkling deep - Many Minds
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- Title
- The sparkling deep
- Description
- <p class="p1"><span class="s1">It's tempting to see bioluminescence as an oddity, one of those rare eccentricities of life on earth. And, on land, maybe that's true. But our planet is mostly water, and out in the open ocean bioluminescence is utterly commonplace. Creatures of all shapes and sorts sparkle and glow, glitter and pulse. But what are these displays for? Why did they evolve? How did light become the currency of the deep? </span><span class= "s1"> </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">My guest today is <a href= "https://opticsoflife.org/people/sjohnsen.html"><span class= "s2">Dr. Sönke Johnsen</span></a>. Sönke is a Distinguished Professor of Biology at Duke University, where he and his research group study the visual ecology of the ocean. He's the author of a number of books: most recently <a href= "https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691181745/into-the-great-wide-ocean?srsltid=AfmBOoqLrUVXKHelnjoG2HVYcl4G6RrI4dqWLzPZbMoTxx0_q22L7EJ0"> <span class="s2"><em>Into the Great Wide Ocean</em></span></a>, about life in the pelagic realm, and <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/dp/1419772376?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback"> <span class="s2"><em>The Radiant Sea</em></span></a>, a photographic tour of bioluminescence and color, written in collaboration with Dr. Steven Haddock. </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Here, Sönke and I talk about the open ocean: the most common habitat on our plant, yet one that many people will never experience. We consider the curious distribution of bioluminescence— rare on land, exceptionally prevalent in the ocean, and all but absent in freshwater. We talk about how bioluminescence seems to have evolved—many, many times over in fact. We survey the functions of making light in the deep—from counter-illumination to courtship to revenge. Finally, we consider what Sönke takes to be the biggest remaining puzzle about bioluminescence at sea. </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Alright friends, if you're enjoying <em>Many Minds</em>, we ask (humbly) if you would think about rating us, reviewing us, leaving us a comment, boosting us on social media, or perhaps haranguing your friends—relentlessly—until they give us a listen. </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Without further ado, onto my conversation with Dr. Sönke Johnsen. Enjoy!</span><span class= "s2"> </span></p> <p class="p1"> </p> <p class="p1"><span style= "text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s2"><em>Notes</em></span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">3:30 – The <a href= "https://www.nature.com/articles/18131"><span class="s2">scientific report</span></a> by Dr. Johnsen and colleagues describing the bioluminescent octopus,</span> <span class="s3"><em>Stauroteuthis syrtensis</em></span><span class="s1">. </span><span class= "s1"> </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">12:00 – A <a href= "https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/science/bristlemouth-ocean-deep-sea-cyclothone.html"> <span class="s2">popular article</span></a> on the bristlemouth. The article reports a scientists estimage of "</span><span class= "s4">as many as a dozen [bristlemouths] per square meter of ocean."</span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s5">15:00 – A <a href= "https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2435.14488"> <span class="s6">recent discussion</span></a> of the "burglar alarm hypothesis."</span><span class="s5"> </span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s5">18:00 – The <a href= "https://opticsoflife.org/index.html"><span class= "s6">website</span></a> for the Johnsen Lab at Duke University.</span><span class="s5"> </span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s5">24:00 – A <a href= "https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/ocean/layers-of-ocean"><span class= "s6">chart and discussion</span></a> of the depth zones of the ocean.</span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s5">29:30 – A <a href= "https://www.nature.com/articles/srep45750"><span class= "s6">study</span></a> by</span> <span class="s7">Séverine Martin</span> <span class="s5">and Steven Haddock qu
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-20T02:41:00+00:00
- Status
- completed
- Website
- https://manyminds.libsyn.com/the-sparkling-deep
- Length
- 80:27
- File
- /podcasts/Many Minds/1781923260-5329.mp3
- Size
- 110.49 MB
- Bitrate
- 187-CBR
- Channels
- 1
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