Hello there, friends, and welcome to episode 288 of Just the Zoo of Us.

This week, I am joined by a champion of the reef, a guest who is using her knowledge and

passion for marine biology to save the world one polyp at a time.

We discuss coral wars and neural nets, aliens from a different version of our own planet,

literally reinventing the wheel with coral-inspired biomimicry.

What's up with coral bleaching and how we can help?

And even surprisingly philosophical questions like, what is an individual?

What is the self? And at what point do you

have a new body? This episode will change the way you look at a reef and maybe even yourself. Hope

you're ready. Just the Zoo of Us presents corals with Jesse Palmer. Hello, everybody. This is Ellen Weatherford with Just the Zoo of Us, your favorite animal review podcast. I'm so excited this week to have a really cool animal with a really cool new friend. This is Jesse Palmer. Say hi, Jesse. Hi.

Hi. Jesse, what are your pronouns? She her, hers. Thank you so much. I am really excited to talk about this animal that is not only important,

but also I feel like it's overlooked and tends to kind of fall into the background. So I'm

excited to put this animal in the spotlight today. Before we put this animal in the spotlight

and give them center stage, let's talk about you. Jesse, how did you get into the work that

you do with marine biology? So I have been interested in the ocean ever since I was little. My parents

both scuba dive. They bonded over their love for the ocean. So from birth, I've been obsessed with

the ocean. When I was four, I decided I would be a marine

biologist and I have stuck with that ever since. I, you know, had my little phases where it was

like, I'll be a marine biologist and a singer on the side, but it's always marine biologist

first and foremost. Yeah, the marine biologist is really, everything else is like side quests.

Yes, exactly.

And I love a side quest.

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