WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:04.000 Oh hey, it's that podcast that you thought dropped on Tuesdays, 2 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.719 and it does. I promise. It's just been a wacky 3 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:08.960 couple of weeks, and thank you for bearing with me. 4 00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:13.199 It's Ali Ward back with another episode of Ologies. Also, yes, 5 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:16.559 last week's AMA went up on a Tuesday night, but 6 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:19.800 it just mysteriously unpublished itself and I was on the 7 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:22.679 road to my folks house on Wednesday not knowing this, 8 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:26.079 so apologies that it wasn't republished until Thursday. We got 9 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:29.600 it up on Tuesday for you anyway, technical goblins, thank 10 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:32.200 you for bearing with them. A lot has happened since 11 00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:35.520 last week. My pops is on the mend and hopefully 12 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:39.759 we'll be sprung from the hospital soon. Yesterday though, I 13 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:43.520 left his hospital room to check into the er myself 14 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:48.000 for an infected spider bite and found out that I 15 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:51.960 might have something called blood poisoning. So it's been an 16 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:55.560 eventful couple of days, but I have some antibiotics. Thank 17 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:58.359 you for everyone on Twitter and my friend Mike Natter 18 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:02.640 for your medical guidance. Yes I'm doing a little bit better, 19 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:05.319 but it's been a rough couple of days. But on 20 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:08.359 Sunday I won an Emmy for writing for the Henry 21 00:01:08.359 --> 00:01:11.280 Fords Innovation Nation with Morocca. If you were like, what 22 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:14.319 your own show? I'm very bad at self promotion, but yes, 23 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:17.159 every single Saturday on CBS, and also I host my 24 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:19.599 own show on CW did I mention invention? So if 25 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:21.760 you need science shows to watch with your kiddos, there 26 00:01:21.799 --> 00:01:25.079 are a few Emmy winning programs with your weird old 27 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:28.760 dad word. Okay, so this episode, who I don't know 28 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:31.000 how to prepare you for what you're in for because 29 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:34.799 it's so so so good. Okay, First, let's thank everyone 30 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:37.319 on patreon dot com slash ologies for making the show possible. 31 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:39.719 You can join for a dollar a month and submit 32 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:43.200 your own questions for theologists. Thanks to everyone rating and 33 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:46.560 subscribing and word of mouthing me. All of the folks 34 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:49.079 who leave reviews, thank you. I read them in their 35 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:52.480 entirety and this proof I think a reviewer every week. 36 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:56.359 Captain Nemo says they're a number one fan, and also 37 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:00.879 Space Apples wrote that the show highlights how beautiful, fascinating, 38 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:03.200 and just frickin weird the world around us is and 39 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:06.359 really brings a sense of positivity and appreciation during times 40 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:09.439 where things are honestly pretty rough. Thank you for those reviews, 41 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:11.240 Thank you for bearing with me on a couple of 42 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:14.560 rough weeks here. We should be back on our Tuesday 43 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:18.319 scheduling next week. Promise. Okay, all I want to do 44 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:20.439 is get to this episode. We're gonna get into it. 45 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:24.039 So medusology, it is a word. It's the study of jellyfish, 46 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:28.439 and it comes from Linnaeus, who named jellyfish Medusai, after 47 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:31.960 the Greek Gorgon who had snakes for hair and turned 48 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:35.560 men into stone, and according to many scholars, is a 49 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:38.400 symbol for female rage. So I don't know what kind 50 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:42.199 of complex feelings Linnaeus had about women are jellyfish, but 51 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:46.280 perhaps hell hath no fury like a taxonomist stunk. Now. 52 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:50.120 Either way, there are over two thousand species of jellyfish, 53 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:53.120 some in forms that are teeny tiny and others, like 54 00:02:53.159 --> 00:02:56.919 the lion's main, are over three feet in diameter at 55 00:02:56.919 --> 00:02:59.560 certain points of their life. So this medusologist is about 56 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:03.240 to become your favorite medusologist. She got her bachelor's in 57 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:07.280 marine science, her masters and PhD at Brown in ecology 58 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:11.280 and evolutionary biology, a postdoc at Woodshole, and is currently 59 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:14.240 an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina Asheville 60 00:03:14.599 --> 00:03:18.120 and a National Science Foundation Postdoc fellow at the Smithsonian. 61 00:03:18.439 --> 00:03:23.080 No big deal. And as if this episode isn't exciting enough, 62 00:03:23.319 --> 00:03:26.280 it's also part of a two fur with next week, 63 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:30.599 in which we will address toxinology the study of jellyfish 64 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:34.039 venom mother lovers. Are you excited? Yes you are? Okay, 65 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:36.840 so hang tight for all of that with another ologists 66 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:40.039 next week, but for this one, get ready to deep 67 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:44.039 dive on everything from mouths to butts, to space aliens, 68 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:47.560 to swimming in the bubble of your captive's stomach, to 69 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:51.879 peeing on yourself, to pool noodles, flim flam, if eating 70 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:55.120 jellies is her jam, and more with the world's most 71 00:03:55.319 --> 00:04:18.800 charming medusologist, doctor Rebecca Helm. 72 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:21.000 You know what I mean, if it's just on my end, 73 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:23.519 like if my internet is just being a little bit ish, 74 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:26.879 because we do have like a massive storm happening outside. 75 00:04:26.959 --> 00:04:28.199 Oh you do, Oh my god? 76 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:31.279 Yeah, I know. It's so fun. It's like an adventure 77 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:32.879 but exciting. 78 00:04:34.439 --> 00:04:40.000 You're in Ashville, I am, Yes, hence the storm. Yes, okay, 79 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:40.800 that makes sense. 80 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:44.879 Before we get rolling to is this like a one 81 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:47.360 shot thing or you know, like if I have to cough, 82 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:48.639 can that be edited out? 83 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:50.920 Oh my gosh, I edit the shit out of things. 84 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:57.000 I don't know jack shit about jellyfish, So I'm blank 85 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:01.399 canvas over here, good doctor of jellyfish. Do you know 86 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:02.639 that you're a medusologist? 87 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:05.600 I didn't. No. I was actually just telling a friend. 88 00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:07.680 I was like, you know, I'm gonna have this interview 89 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:11.199 and it's on medusology, and she was like what what. 90 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.319 I was like, I know, I know I'm a medusologist. 91 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:15.959 I'd never thought about it that way. 92 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:18.600 You're going to change your business cards, man, immediately? 93 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:23.439 Immediately? Yeah, I mean, frankly, I need to get business cards. 94 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:25.879 So do people even are we even going to do 95 00:05:25.959 --> 00:05:27.040 business cards anymore? 96 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:29.560 You know, I don't think. So how long have you 97 00:05:29.639 --> 00:05:32.839 been studying jellyfish? 98 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:36.199 Gosh? I mean I think professionally, like, how long have 99 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:40.680 I been doing a job of studying jellyfish? Probably ten years, 100 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:46.319 and then probably another five years of like working for 101 00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:49.319 free at jellyfish, like as a student or as an 102 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:50.560 intern or whatever. 103 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:54.560 Yeah, what was your first free job working with jellyfish? 104 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:56.839 Oh? My god, it was so much fun. I went 105 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:59.399 up to Friday Harbor, which is in Washington State. It's 106 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:03.639 like in the San Juan Islands, and it was in 107 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:05.920 the middle of the winter. No one was there. It's 108 00:06:05.959 --> 00:06:09.399 like a very seasonal place. And I just went out 109 00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:12.519 on the dock and like counted and cataloged all the 110 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:13.920 jellyfish that floated by. 111 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:17.639 Oh my god, how do you do that? Do you 112 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:19.399 have to shine a light in the water? How are 113 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:20.839 you detecting them? 114 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.319 This is a legit This is a legit question. Yeah, 115 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:28.160 are there are tricks? So cloudy days are no go. 116 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:31.079 Some days are the best. Right, You don't want any 117 00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:33.920 cloud reflection off the water because these things are transparent. 118 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:36.279 They're like crystals floating through the water, right, So you 119 00:06:36.439 --> 00:06:41.000 need that strong intense light from the sun to sort 120 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:44.519 of shine light on the side of their body, like 121 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:48.279 stand out ever so slightly from the water around them. 122 00:06:48.439 --> 00:06:50.319 Most of these are really clear, you know, so you 123 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:53.480 have to really be looking. You can go out at 124 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:56.279 night and like drop a light in the water and 125 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:59.120 find a ton of great stuff. So any type of 126 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:02.759 light that can be submerged, a dive light, whatever you 127 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:05.399 have on a rope and then you just sit with 128 00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:09.079 a cup on a stick, yeah, and wait until you 129 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:11.279 see one that you want and then you just you know, 130 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:14.360 like very gently, like scoop it into the little cup 131 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:16.839 and then you know, pull the little stick in and 132 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:19.759 then very gently put it in the bucket. And that's 133 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:21.240 your that's your day. 134 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:24.439 Oh and or your night, I guess maybe your night. 135 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:25.600 Yeah. 136 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:28.759 What is it about jellyfish? Did you accidentally become a 137 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:31.879 medusologist or did you have a fascination with them forever? 138 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:36.480 I loved them. So I'm from Arizona, which is very dry, 139 00:07:36.839 --> 00:07:40.639 and you know, I knew I wanted to explore. I 140 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:43.439 love exploring, and for a lot of my childhood I 141 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:47.279 thought I wanted to be like a space biologist, which 142 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:50.480 isn't isn't it really a thing? Like there we haven't 143 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:54.240 found aliens yet. But I was like, oh, you know, 144 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:56.160 by the time I'm like twenty, we're totally going to 145 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:59.519 find them. This'll be great. And then at one point 146 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:02.199 I saw documentary on jellyfish and I was like, why 147 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:05.079 even go to space? Like these are so weird? 148 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:09.680 Ah, that's so true, They're so weird. I want to 149 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:10.480 understand you. 150 00:08:11.160 --> 00:08:14.360 So that was really like what catalyzed my interest, and 151 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:16.319 then it just sort of snowballed. You know, like you 152 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:18.319 got a million interests when you're a kid, and some 153 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:21.480 of them stick and most of them don't. And this 154 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:25.079 one just kind of stuff like things kept popping up 155 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:27.959 and I kept finding jellyfish and just falling in love 156 00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:31.160 even more so now I get to study jellyfish for 157 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:32.480 a living. It's wonderful. 158 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:36.000 Do you have a lab full of jellyfish or what 159 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:37.080 is the work involve? 160 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:41.759 Oh my gosh, so yes, usually non How dare you. 161 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:48.360 The crickets are up editing? Yes, I'm sorry. I did 162 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:50.519 not edit that out because it was in darias hell. 163 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:53.879 And also I was like, could there be a jellyfish 164 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:56.679 ring tone? Do you jellyfish even make a noise? And 165 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:00.519 I did learn that millions of jellyfish coming up from 166 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:04.399 the depths at night to feed on phidoplankton, make a 167 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:10.159 low frequency hum. So if you want a ring tone, 168 00:09:10.519 --> 00:09:15.600 that's legions of hungry, soggy apparitions. I guess just download 169 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:20.200 some static. Anyway, what does her work or her jellyfish 170 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:20.919 look like? 171 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:26.679 So under normal circumstances, I have a lab and I 172 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:29.240 have a bunch of jellies, but they're not in the 173 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:34.320 jellyfish form, so they don't look like jellyfish. They actually 174 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:37.840 look like little proto jellyfish and they stick on the bottom. 175 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:41.120 At the moment, they're all living in my house. So 176 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:44.679 I've got like maybe twenty species of jellyfish in my 177 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:49.039 house right now. Well it's a party. But then when 178 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:51.919 conditions are right, or when you as a scientist, want 179 00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:55.840 to like get some medusa jellyfish, like the big charismatic 180 00:09:55.919 --> 00:10:00.159 kind that you used to thinking about. When you think jellyfish, like, 181 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:03.200 add a chemical and that will induce them to go 182 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:07.720 through this metamorphosis and then you'll get your big jellyfish. 183 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:10.639 What is the chemical? Is it just puberty hormones? 184 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:15.200 We don't know. That's such a great question because it's 185 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:19.679 this like synthetic drug that people take for like upset stomachs, 186 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:24.200 but when you add it to jellyfish, they metamorphose. 187 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:26.720 Oh how did they figure that out? 188 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:30.360 So this was like this was me being in grad 189 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:34.000 school and panicking and needing to find a way to 190 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:37.399 get jellyfish to metamorphose. And so I think the original 191 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:41.799 study was done on a panel of like two hundred 192 00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:44.759 different chemicals. You can just like call up a store 193 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:47.279 like one of these chemical suppliers and be like, I, well, 194 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.600 like a mini sample of like every chemical you have, right, 195 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:52.679 and then you can like just test them. And so 196 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:55.919 the original study was done in Japan on moon jellyfish. 197 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:58.799 They're just one species. And then when I was in 198 00:10:58.840 --> 00:11:00.519 grad school, I was like, oh my god, I'm in 199 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:02.159 like year three and I don't have any data, and 200 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:03.480 I just like every day I feel like I want 201 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:05.559 to cry because I don't have any data. And so 202 00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:08.440 I just started testing all of these different chemicals on 203 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:11.159 a really broad range of species, and this one just 204 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:14.120 happens to work like across tons of different species. 205 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:18.679 It's amazing. My god, did everyone lift you up on 206 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:20.720 a chair and carry you around? Like did all the 207 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:24.440 medusologists of the world say, like, doctor, how did you 208 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:24.840 do this? 209 00:11:25.799 --> 00:11:30.759 All like a hundred of us? Yeah? Well, I mean 210 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:33.120 it was published eventually, and I mean I hope people 211 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:36.480 are happy. I think the biggest feedback I've gotten is 212 00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:39.320 from people that work at public aquariums, because you know, 213 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:42.320 you need jellyfish like all the time, and if your 214 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:46.000 poly ups just don't feel like it, then then what 215 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:48.320 are you gonna do? So like now you can be like, 216 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:50.440 you know, here's a little dab of this chemical and 217 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:53.120 then they just like go through metamorphosis. Whereas before, like 218 00:11:53.559 --> 00:11:57.279 people were putting them in refrigerators. You know, you can 219 00:11:57.399 --> 00:12:01.200 like put them in little like heat contains. You can 220 00:12:01.240 --> 00:12:02.679 add light, you can take away. It was like a 221 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:05.799 whole voodoo science. So I think it's a little better. Now. 222 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:09.399 What was it like when you realized that this chemical 223 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.240 did that? What kind of reaction did you have? 224 00:12:11.720 --> 00:12:14.159 Oh my god? I wrote so many bad words of 225 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:18.320 excitement in my lab notebook, like I still have it, 226 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:22.759 but it was just, oh my god, I did it. 227 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.120 I mean, like I cried, like it was this whole 228 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:29.919 big fish. It's dark, it's eleven at night, You're in 229 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:34.200 this like cold lab by yourself, which is the light 230 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:37.120 of the microscope to kind of keep you warm, right, 231 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:39.600 and then and then I was looking at these animals 232 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:42.159 and realized it was working, and I was just so 233 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:44.679 so happy. No one else was around, so I didn't 234 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:46.720 get to like celebrate or like have a Eureka moment 235 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:48.600 or like walk into the room and be like I 236 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:49.919 did it, you know what I mean. It was just 237 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:51.799 me and the jellyfish, but it was still great. 238 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:57.000 Who do you call first in that situation? Like in 239 00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:00.240 a Eureka contact number, like who's first on the list. 240 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:02.039 You know, how do you explain that moment? 241 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:05.879 I think anybody that you've been excessively bitching to about 242 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:09.720 how everything is working right, like the people that are 243 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:13.399 in the trenches with you and watch you suffer, it's 244 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:15.840 like because they just they're just like, oh, thank god, 245 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:21.559 she's done complaining about everything. I don't know, they're really 246 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:24.360 excited for you too. So yeah, it was awesome. 247 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:30.320 And so tell me what exactly is a jellyfish? You've 248 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:34.440 already tossed around some terms, some polyps. We got some medusas, 249 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:36.879 like what is a jellyfish exactly? 250 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:41.440 So a jellyfish is the last step in this complex 251 00:13:41.559 --> 00:13:48.000 life cycle of animals that collectively we could call medusa 252 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:54.200 zoans medusa zoans medusa like you know, lady with the 253 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:57.720 crazy snake hair, and then zoa because they're animals. So 254 00:13:57.799 --> 00:14:00.240 you know, we got these medusas zoa and they have 255 00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:04.519 this three part life cycle, which is honestly why I 256 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:07.320 love them so much. I mean, one of many reasons, 257 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:10.399 but one of my favorite reasons is that they look 258 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:13.639 like three totally different animals at different parts of their 259 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:17.000 life cycle. So the first part is called a planulat, 260 00:14:17.039 --> 00:14:20.960 and it's just like this little itty bitty grain of 261 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:26.159 sugar sized swimming fuzzy pill. Right, it just looks like 262 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:29.919 this little kind of moldy pill floating through the water, 263 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:34.039 the little hairs sticking off of it, and it can 264 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:36.120 live like that for a while. And that's just like 265 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:39.360 the larva that forms when an egg and a sperm 266 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:44.720 meat and fuse, and so it's very tiny. Sometimes if 267 00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:49.080 you get swimmers, itch, that's a bunch of little babies 268 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:54.159 getting stuck in your swimsuit. No very sad yees. 269 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:56.480 Oh god, can you imagine if there was like a 270 00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:59.519 Godzilla that just took took a dip and then just 271 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:03.600 had a of tiny human babies in its pants. Imagine 272 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:07.360 just I know, I know, right exactly. 273 00:15:07.559 --> 00:15:10.000 So like it's yes, you're just like I don't even 274 00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:12.679 know who to feel bad for, Like it's trying for everybody. 275 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:16.720 Like you get like itchy little jelly babies, but they're 276 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:19.840 getting like smooshed, you know, on your stomach, like the 277 00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:21.799 weird it's a very bad day. 278 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:25.159 Good. Oh, so those are the babies, and then what's 279 00:15:25.159 --> 00:15:25.879 stage two? 280 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:29.759 Right, so stage two would sort of be like you know, 281 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:32.279 if we're going to continue this analogy of like little 282 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:36.120 human babies floating around, right, stage two would be when 283 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:39.120 they settle and they form what's called a pollup m h. 284 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:43.279 And it basically in the case of a jelly it 285 00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:47.799 looks like a jellyfish that got slipped upside down and 286 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:50.399 it's kind of stuck to the seafloor. So it's got 287 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:54.039 a little mouth and a little ring of tentacles around 288 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:57.039 the mouth, and then it's got this little body column 289 00:15:57.799 --> 00:15:59.960 right and just sort of sticks to the sea floor. 290 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:02.480 It's very small, like a bread crumb, okay, now, and 291 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:04.679 it would sort of I mean, the polyp is really 292 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:08.879 the stage that lasts for like decades, So polups can 293 00:16:08.919 --> 00:16:11.080 live a super long time. So it'd be like, you know, 294 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:14.720 human baby finds a nice place to settle down, you know, 295 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:16.759 and it just like grows into like a person. 296 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:17.679 Okay. 297 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:21.480 You know. Polyps are really like that stage. They're like 298 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:24.360 the persistent, long lived stage. 299 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:28.240 Okay. So a planula is the moldy green pill looking 300 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:31.120 teeny daddy baby. And then they grow a little bit 301 00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:35.080 more and they become these breadcrumb sized polyps that look 302 00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:38.399 like sideshow Bob in a tube dress. But what are 303 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:41.320 they doing on the seafloor. What are they doing? Are 304 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:44.360 they having orgies? Are they playing peanuckle shooting the shit? 305 00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:47.159 And they're not reproducing no part? 306 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:51.000 Actually, okay, they might clone themselves. So they have some 307 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:54.200 cool cloning tricks that they do where they like split 308 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:56.960 themselves in half like a little cell dividing. They can 309 00:16:57.000 --> 00:17:01.000 just split in half, or they can leave like little 310 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:05.039 footprints of cells behind them. They don't really crawl very fast, 311 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:08.960 maybe like a step every week, really slow. 312 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:09.680 Take your time. 313 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:12.079 But every time they do, they leave a little footprint 314 00:17:12.119 --> 00:17:15.240 of cells. And those cells are like little polyup seeds 315 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:17.960 and they can actually hatch into new polyps at some 316 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:18.680 inner date. 317 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:21.480 This is happening on the ocean floor. 318 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:26.400 Typically, it's all happening on the ocean floor. Wow. Typically, 319 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:29.200 you're right. Typically is the perfect word, because biology is 320 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:32.960 in love with exceptions. But yes, typically happening on the 321 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:33.720 ocean floor. 322 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:37.680 Oh my god. And then when do they decide that 323 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:40.720 it's time to just grow up and get sexy? 324 00:17:41.319 --> 00:17:43.920 Right? Well, so they don't really grow up and get 325 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:47.960 sexy so much as they like bud part of themselves off. 326 00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:51.799 Who So they bud the little reproductive partoff. So some 327 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:56.319 jellyfish will actually fission down down the side of their body. 328 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:58.279 So like you can sort of imagine, like I don't know, 329 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:01.240 whenever we go back to wearing like hard pants and 330 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:04.720 belts again, it's probably gonna look kind of similar for me, 331 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:06.720 when you're wearing a pants that are too tight and 332 00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:09.480 you got like a little paunch. They sort of look 333 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:11.559 like that, like poly ups get a little like paunch. 334 00:18:12.359 --> 00:18:15.200 Oh my god, I mean, we are all literally falling 335 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:16.839 in love with this person's brain right now, right. 336 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:19.160 Like they're wearing a belt that's too tight, and then 337 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:21.240 the top of that paunch will like grow into a 338 00:18:21.240 --> 00:18:27.039 little jellyfish and pop off. No, and others they'll bud 339 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:31.039 little jellyfish off the side. 340 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:31.400 And then what do those do? 341 00:18:32.680 --> 00:18:35.559 Right? Well, And so this they're the reproductive stage. 342 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:37.240 Oh my god. 343 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:43.240 Okay, so I guess to continue our terrifying analogy, right, 344 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:45.759 it would be like if your ovaries are testes like 345 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:49.759 just like sprouted wings and popped off. Oh my god, 346 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:53.440 that's what jellyfish are. So they're this like reproductive stage 347 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:56.759 that has the gonads right that like sails into the 348 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:00.480 sky or in this case, you know, the ocean like. 349 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:04.759 Reproduces unbelievable, just like Baye bye nards have a great 350 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:09.119 life and are there more than one sex or is 351 00:19:09.160 --> 00:19:12.039 it just like kind of blanket one type of gonad? 352 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:16.759 Hm. We are like learning so much about this right now. 353 00:19:16.839 --> 00:19:21.599 It seems like polyps are male or female much of 354 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:24.200 the time, so like in a lot of species, it's 355 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:27.200 like either this or that. But there are some species 356 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:30.319 where you know, they start male and then as they 357 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:32.359 get bigger, they become female. 358 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:35.920 Oh cute. Do they have to eat more in order 359 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:39.880 to go from a little tiny breadcrumb to these fluffy, 360 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:45.200 stinging you know, long medusa hair creatures they do? 361 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:48.480 They usually they'll sort of munch on on plankedin that 362 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:50.240 are in the water, so you've got you know, lots 363 00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:53.039 of little like swimming shrimp and crabs and fish and 364 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:56.920 things like that. Some pull this cool trick kind of 365 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:00.400 similar to their coral cousins, where they actually have algae 366 00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:04.119 living in their body in themselves. 367 00:20:04.279 --> 00:20:06.839 Oh that is so fancy, so awesome. 368 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:10.759 I'm so jealous, sincerely, Like can you just imagine, like 369 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:12.799 I'm just gonna go like eat lunch and then you 370 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:15.200 like walk outside in sunbathe for like two hours. 371 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:18.920 Oh my god. Medusa's owens, of course belong to the 372 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:23.079 phylum Nidaria, as do corals, So for more on their 373 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:26.920 coral cousins, you need to treat yourself to the Nidariology 374 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:29.440 episode from summer twenty nineteen with shale with Suda. And 375 00:20:29.480 --> 00:20:32.000 then just go hug a reef. Jkjk. Do not hug 376 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:33.720 the reef. It is live. It does not want you 377 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:35.519 to hug it. You do not want to hug it either. 378 00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:37.759 And then they they have to go to the surface 379 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:40.400 obviously for that. So they there are gonuns just fly 380 00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:43.279 up up up up up until they get kind of 381 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:46.200 to the surface and they can get the plankton and 382 00:20:46.200 --> 00:20:47.799 get the floating stuff and get the sunlight. 383 00:20:48.119 --> 00:20:51.000 Exactly. Oh some of them, some of them will go deep. 384 00:20:51.039 --> 00:20:53.279 The ones that don't have that luscious algae, they might 385 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:56.039 go deep. They might already be deep. You know, different 386 00:20:56.039 --> 00:21:00.000 species of jellyfish, they like different places. Upside down. Jellyfish 387 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:02.759 actually swim to the bottom and just like hang out 388 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:05.200 on the bottom and like a shallow lagoon and just 389 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:07.160 like sunbathe twenty four to seven. 390 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:10.599 Oh my gosh, what a life? I mean, what are life? 391 00:21:11.400 --> 00:21:18.200 And how are they functioning because they are transparent. You 392 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:21.240 don't see any brains or stomachs, Like, how are they 393 00:21:21.240 --> 00:21:23.240 even pulling any of this off? Like what do they 394 00:21:23.240 --> 00:21:25.240 even have in that little umbrella? 395 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:29.640 I know they're they're so inspiringly minimalist. 396 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:34.359 They maricondoed all their organs. 397 00:21:34.039 --> 00:21:37.680 They did just none, none left, just some gonads. And 398 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:41.559 they don't even have a butt. They just have one hole, right, 399 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:43.960 So it's just like, forget this anus, right, We're just 400 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:46.400 gonna do everything using this one hole. So they've just 401 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:51.359