Alan Jamieson
Professor Jamieson is the founding Director of the Minderoo-UWA Deep Sea Research Centre at the University of Western Australia. He has over 22 years of experience in deep-sea science, technology and exploration. He is an international authority on the hadal zone and has published over 125 scientific publications, participated in nearly 70 deep-sea expeditions, and pioneered the design of full-ocean-depth Hadal-Landers that have been deployed over 500 times throughout the world’s deepest trenches.
Deepest octopus
The dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis) has been observed by HD cameras foraging near the sandy seafloor at a depth of 6,957 m (22,825 ft) in the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean, as detailed in a study published in Marine Biology on 26 May 2020. The body of dumbo octopuses – roughly 20 cm (7.8 in) long – is soft, semi-gelatinous and capable of resisting the immense pressure found at these depths. The animal derives its common name from two specialized flippers on its head that are reminiscent of elephant ears, hence the link to the famous Disney character.