Join us for the Future of Oceans lecture “Animals of Extreme Habitats in the Deep Sea”

Presented by Dr. Paul H Yancey
Senior Research Scientist and Professor of Biology Emeritus
Whitman College

This lecture delves into the deep sea, Earth’s largest and least explored habitat, where life thrives in surprising ways despite extreme conditions of darkness, cold, and low food supply. Unique environments such as hydrothermal vents, hydrocarbon seeps, and tectonic trenches support diverse ecosystems with creatures like giant tubeworms, amphipods, and the Mariana snailfish. The lecture also highlights the physiological adaptations of deep-sea life and the growing threats to these fragile ecosystems from human activities like pollution and mining.

Yancey will discuss research at these habitats, including expeditions to vents off British Columbia, seeps off Oregon, and major trench explorations using submersibles like DSV Alvin and DSV Limiting Factor. Notable discoveries of creatures from this lecture (including the translucent Mariana snailfish) have been featured in documentaries by BBC (Blue Planet II), Discovery+ Channel (Expedition Deep Ocean Part 2 – Southern Ocean), and NHK (Deep Sea Part 3 – Mariana Trench narrated by Sir David Attenborough).

Paul Yancey received a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, on adaptations of marine animals to salinity, temperature, and deep-sea pressure. After postdoctoral work at St. Andrews in Scotland, he was Professor at Whitman College for 41 years, teaching Marine Biology (with field trips to Friday Harbor Labs), Physiology and Bioethics. Research, from the intertidal to the Mariana Trench and yielding medical advances, continued at Whitman, National Institutes of Health and marine stations in Newport (Oregon), Monterey Bay, Bar Harbor, Louisiana, Hawai’i, Scotland, and New Zealand; and on over 20 deep-sea expeditions with nets, landers, ROVs and crewed submersibles, including Alvin. Yancey’s discoveries have been featured in media, podcasts, and documentaries by BBC, NHK, and Discovery+.

To keep this series accessible to all, regardless of the ability to pay, there is no set charge for the event; however, donations are always welcomed and appreciated.

Our lecture series, The Future of Oceans, draws on the commitment of professional researchers and educators across all academic spectrums to help define and inspire the health of our oceans.

To see the full lecture series for 2024-2025, visit our Lectures page.

Thanks to the Darrow Family for their ongoing support.