Big Picture Science for Dec. 18, 2023 - The Ocean’s Genome

 

Big Picture Science - The Ocean’s Genome

After helping to sequence the human genome more than twenty years ago, biochemist Craig Venter seemed to recede from the public eye. But he hadn’t retired. He had gone to sea and taken his revolutionary sequencing tools with him. We chatted with him about his multi-year voyage aboard the research vessel Sorcerer II, its parallels to Darwin’s voyage, and the surprising discoveries his team made about the sheer number and diversity of marine microbes and their roles in ocean ecosystems.

Guests:

• Craig Venter - Genomicist, biochemist, founder of the J. Craig Venter Institute, and co-author of “The Voyage of Sorcerer II: The Expedition that Unlocked the Secrets of the Ocean’s Microbiome.”
• Jeff Hoffman - Lab manager at the J. Craig Venter Institute and expedition scientist on the Sorcerer II expedition.

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the-oceans-genome

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Big Picture Science for Sept. 18, 2023 - Into the Deep

Big Picture Science - Into the Deep

REPEAT
Have you ever heard worms arguing? Deep-sea scientists use hydrophones to eavesdrop on “mouth-fighting worms.” It’s one of the many ways scientists are trying to catalog the diversity of the deep oceans — estimated to be comparable to a rainforest.

But the clock is ticking. While vast expanses of the deep sea are still unexplored, mining companies are ready with dredging vehicles to strip mine the seafloor, potentially destroying rare and vulnerable ecosystems. Are we willing to eradicate an alien landscape that we haven’t yet visited?

Guests:

• Craig McClain - deep-sea and evolutionary biologist and ecologist, Executive Director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.
• Steve Haddock - senior scientist at the Monetary Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and co-author of a New York Times op-ed about the dangers of mining.
• Emily Hall - marine chemist at the Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida
• Chong Chen - deep sea biologist with the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)

This repeat podcast originally aired on November 23, 2020

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/into-the-deep

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Are We Alone for 04/26/10 - Seas the Moment

Are We Alone - Seas the Moment

ENCORE With more water than land on this planet, Earth is more aptly-named “Ocean” or “Water.” The oceans have been here for billions of years, and make all life possible. Yet, it’s taken less than a century for humans to deal some serious blows to the watery cradle of our existence. Discover how our oceans are changing and the worrisome increase in their acidity from the maker of the documentary film, A Sea Change

Also, hear how hope is bubbling up for ocean recovery from famed oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Learn about her record-breaking voyages underwater and how her reprimand to a Silicon Valley entrepreneur gave birth to Google Ocean. Plus, farming the seas for new antibiotics.

Guests:

• Sylvia Earle – Oceanographer, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, founder of DeepSearch Foundation, and author of Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas (National Geographic Atlas)
• Sven Huseby – Co-producer of the documentary A Sea Change
• Peter Moeller – Toxin and Natural Products Chemist at NOAA
• Pacific Ocean – Largest oceanic division of the world, overlay of the Pacific Plate

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Seas_the_Moment

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

NASA Heads Out to Sea

NASA Science News for August 21, 2009

The agency best known for exploring the vast reaches of space has been exploring some of the vast beaches of Earth – and the results may help protect them.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/21aug_mobilebay.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Eerie Red Glow Traces Ocean Plant Health

Source - NASA Science News for May 28, 2009

NASA's Aqua satellite has detected a red glow coming from phytoplankton in Earth's oceans. This unique signal allows researchers to monitor the health of ocean plants in a new and telling way.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/28may_redglow.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Are We Alone for 05/11/09 - Seas the Moment

Are We Alone - Seas the Moment
With more water than land on this planet, Earth is more aptly-named “Ocean” or “Water.” The oceans have been here for billions of years, and make all life possible. Yet, it’s taken less than a century for humans to deal some serious blows to the watery cradle of our existence. Discover how our oceans are changing and the worrisome increase in their acidity from the maker of the documentary film, A Sea Change

Also, hear how hope is bubbling up for ocean recovery from famed oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Learn about her record-breaking voyages underwater and how her reprimand to a Silicon Valley entrepreneur gave birth to Google Ocean. Plus, farming the seas for new antibiotics.

Guests:

• Sylvia Earle – Oceanographer, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, founder of DeepSearch Foundation, and author of Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas (National Geographic Atlas)
• Sven Huseby – Co-producer of the documentary A Sea Change
• Peter Moeller – Toxin and Natural Products Chemist at NOAA
• Pacific Ocean – Largest oceanic division of the world, overlay of the Pacific Plate

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.