Evolution in the Deep Sea

My first non-technical and non-historical topic! Today is meant as a change of pace before we go on hiatus for the quarter; it’s information-light and full of pretty pictures of ocean life.

In this presentation, I talk about:

1. Oceanbed life in the past.
   • Why the Miller-Urey experiment is oversimplified.
   • Three requirements for recurring lifelike chemical reactions, and why undersea vents uniquely provide all three.
2. Oceanbed life today.
   • A runthrough of the ecosystem.
   • Why deep sea life is large and scary: Kleiber’s rule, Bergman’s rule, etc.
3. Future oceanbed life
   • How stable are these ecosystems under global-warming related changes?
   • The impact of undersea mining.

Slides available here.