Episode Summary
In our newest episode, we join roving reporter Kat Bolstad at the Cephalopod International Advisory Council in Okinawa and hear from some of the most interesting people in Cephalopod research. 
 
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! 
The Professor is still down under, organizing conferences and recuperating from Old Mate’s Classic Aussie Sausage Sizzle, a robust event filled with friends of the podcast and still felt 24 hours later. 
 
Thom is freshly back from another big ocean/small boat adventure, in which the ocean always wins and his stomach always loses… everything. He is also stretching his creative muscles and curating an exciting new museum exhibit called Breathe | Mauri Ora at Te Papa, an examination of science into art by Marshmallow Lazer Feast. 
 
Our episode this month is a fascinating collection of interviews from the Cephalopod International Advisory Council Meeting that took place Oct-Nov in Okinawa Japan. Join Kat Bolstad, our roving reporter, as she takes time between bug hunting, seeing her first wild cuttlefish and shaking hands with a new octopus friend to collect interviews with some of the coolest names in Ceph science with a focus on the deep-sea. We hear from 12 Cephalopod experts on a wide variety of topics, including the preferred snacks for cephalopods, the effects of oxygen depletion on egg hatching, water temperature and acidification effects on cephalopod populations, and of course, the correct answer to the viral question: are octopuses actually ALIENS?
 
In the news, get ready for updates on:

Deep diving manta rays using the ocean bottom to navigate
A newly launched AI tool to map the Deep- Sea
Bright blue mud filled with fat molecules indicating life in the deep
Corals and Crinoids sharing symbionts and cycling nitrogen
And an update from the Unseen Ocean Collective about the work they are creating for a show in Juneau Alaska in 2026.

On the Discord, we’ve been busy with:

Voting on the Holiday Party movie
Started a long overdue ART channel, and a new Pets channel
Photo tours of submersibles and Okinawa 
Early Holiday celebrations by one of our hosts
Great feedback and conversation on our last episode. 

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:
Elisabeth Grace Diemer
Nes Morgan
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Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:
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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
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Keep up with the team on social media
Twitter: 
Alan - @Hadalbloke
https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke
Thom - @ThomLinley 
https://twitter.com/ThomLinley
Instagram: 
Thom - @thom.linley 
https://www.instagram.com/thom.linley/
Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions
https://www.instagram.com/inkfishexpeditions/
BlueSky:
Thom @thomaslinley.com
https://bsky.app/profile/thomaslinley.com
 Alan @hadalbloke
https://bsky.app/profile/hadalbloke.bsky.social
 
Reference list
News 
Deep-Sea News
World's largest rays may be diving to extreme depths to build mental maps of vast oceans
China launches AI tool for deep-sea research
Fat Molecules in Deep-Sea Mud Volcanoes Reveal How Microbes Survive Extreme Conditions | Discover Magazine
Putative promiscuous symbionts in deep-sea corals and crinoids may contribute to nitrogen cycling | Microbiome
 
Unseen Ocean Collective
Unseen Ocean Collective.
Unseen Ocean Collective (@unseenoceancollective) • Instagram photos and videos
https://bsky.app/profile/unseenocean.bsky.social
 
Discord Updates
Holiday Party! Join Patreon here to get access to the Holiday party!
 
Interview Links
Kat’s Socials
Bluesky: @autsquidsquad.bsky.social
 
Sarah McAnulty
Skype a Scientist SkypeAScientist.com 
Squidfacts.net  
 
Kristina Fleetwood 
Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary
Décima lab website
Meg Mindlin
Invertibabe 
 
Toni’s socials 
Twitter,  
ResearchGate 
ORCID 
 
Toni’s Research Group
Funcionamiento y Vulnerabilidad de Ecosistemas Marinos | Institut de Ciències del Mar
 
Other Links
Breathe | Mauri Ora | Te Papa
@Tailsfromthedeep 
Global biodiversity of the genus Ommastrephes (Ommastrephidae: Cephalopoda): an allopatric cryptic species complex 
Mitochondrial genome diversity and population structure of the giant squid Architeuthis
Spatial ecology of Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus in Mediterranean deep-water environments: implications for designing no-take marine reserves (MEPS)
Diel and seasonal patterns of Nephrops norvegicus (Decapoda: Nephropidae) catchability in the western Mediterranean
Antarctic octos as records and predictors of climate-related changes in the Antarctic “Emerging evidence of abrupt changes in the Antarctic environment“ 
Danna Staaf books 
Cephalopod camouflage bibliography on Zotero
AUT Lab for Cephalopod Ecology & Systematics aka AUT ‘Squid Squad’
 
Cephalopod Images and Footage
Keishu Asada Instagram
CIAC 2025 website, programme, book of abstracts
https://www.ryo-minemizu.com/ 
Keishu Asada Marine Videos
Keishu Asada Instagram 
 
@PeterandtheOctopus 
 
Credits
Song of the month: Tornado of Souls, by Megadeth, performed by medium-sized Jamieson.
Logo image: Photo credit to Peter Morse @PeterAndTheOctopus 
Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

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