What’s the deal with eels? – Lucy Porter, David Righton and Caroline Durif

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The Infinite Monkey Cage 45 min 5 speakers 8 chapters transcribed 3 months ago
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Siinä oli tarjolla, jos jonkinmoista herkkua. Oli joulutorttua, vihreitä kuulia, piparia ja... Jaha. Juu, tämähän ei ollutkaan joulusatu. Tämähän olikin ostoslista. Ja se on pitkä. No, onneksi kaikki ainekset herkulliseen jouluun saat. S-Marketista. Joulu on ruokaa. S-Market.

Why is the eel's life cycle considered complex?

Brian Cox 0:36
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Do you ever walk into the kitchen and think, what am I doing here? Or you put your phone down a moment ago and then it's like, where is that? New episodes of Science Versus are out now. And in one of them, we're looking into the science of memory and how you can improve yours.

How do eels navigate their long migrations?

Plus, does the full moon make us go crazy? How you can reach your goals, the secrets to being happy, and so much more. Just search for Science Versus. That's Science VS.
Robin Ince 1:35
Hello, I'm Robin Ince. And I'm Brian Cox. And this is the Infinite Mustard Seed Cage. The Infinite Mustard Seed Cage. Yep, because we followed exactly what you said you wanted to do this week, and I was as surprised as the producer was when you said you would love to do a show on the science of elves, why elves are so mysterious, and how you'd only ever caught and eaten one elf. Elver.

What is the significance of eels' spawning in the Sargasso Sea?

Robin Ince 1:58
Yeah, elf. Baby eel. Well, that's not the questions we've got for you today. This is a lot more of a D&D-related show, I'm afraid to tell you. Well, mustard seeds are fairy, not an elephant. You see, you have got a little bit of knowledge there. So if we just drop the roundabout Legolas, Elrond and Hawke the Slayer, which is a pity, because that means we won't have all the questions about Bernard Breslau, who was an actor, younger people, you should know. Anyway, so... He's very odd, isn't he?
LAUGHTER
Robin Ince 2:28
Careful, I'm not averse to using a gull ship spell.

What are the unique characteristics of eels?

Robin Ince 2:32
No one here knows about the gull ship spell. I cannot believe, totally the wrong one. I do.
Brian Cox 2:37
Do you?
Robin Ince 2:37
I don't think you can do it because you'll get the verbal and semantic components required to make a water vessel fly. Oh, I'm going to choose my own adventure. Anyway, so today, what are we discussing, Brian? Today we're discussing eels. Why is their life cycle so complex? How do they navigate on their long migrations?

Why are European eels classified as critically endangered?

Robin Ince 2:53
And where do they sit on the tree of life? And why are jellied eels not as popular as they used to be? To help us untangle the complexity of the eel, we are joined by a fish behaviourist, a fish ecologist, and taking to the surface of the river someone who is the regular hook-a-duck lady at her school fete.
And they are.
David Righton 3:15
I'm David Wrighton, and I'm a scientist at the UK Center for Environment, Fisheries, and Agriculture Science. I've been studying European eels for nearly 20 years, including tracking them across the Atlantic to the Azores and beyond. And one of my most memorable journeys was going for a short walk on a misty Welsh mountainside with my children and turning that into quite a long and lost walk, emerging from the mist a couple of hours later than originally intended, and I've never been so glad to see a pay-and-display car park.
Robin Ince 3:52
See, Brian, that's like the kind of adventure Legolas would have.
LAUGHTER

What challenges do scientists face in studying eels?

Caroline Durif 3:56
I'm Caroline Durif, and I work at the Institute of Marine Research in Norway. But I grew up in France and studied eels in France. And I'm interested in fish migration, especially my favorite fish. That's eels and not electric eels. Those are very different. And my weirdest voyage was when I was traveling with my family in Myanmar. And I lost my family and was trying to catch up with them and asked a kid. We were in a village, and I asked a kid along the side of the road if he had seen a sort of European-looking family. And he took me to his home and showed me his family, which was very sweet.

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