Imagine a hole in the ocean floor with a bottom stretching to 350 feet deep, or deeper. That’s the type of environment Mote scientists and colleagues are exploring as they visit the Gulf of Mexico’s blue holes—underwater caves, springs and sinkholes. In this episode, one of our partnering scientists shares what lives in the depths of a blue hole. Dr. Nastassia Patin, Postdoctoral Associate at the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies from University of Miami/NOAA, just published a paper on the strange microscopic life found in one of these deep, dark, chilly, acidified and low-oxygen environments: the blue hole known as AJ Hole. When this episode was recorded, Dr. Patin was visiting Mote for yet another sampling expedition to explore the tiny life forms in an even deeper blue hole called “Green Banana.” Join Dr. Patin and podcast hosts Joe and Hayley to discover the “alien” lifestyles of microbes in these deep environments, how blue hole research relates to our lives, and which fun fact blew Joe’s mind…
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