Welcome to BrainStuff, a production of I-Heart Radio.

Hey Brain Stuff, Lauren Volkobom here.

Fabian Cousteau had some big shoes to fill, or fins as it were.

As the grandson of famed sea explorer, conservationist, and scuba pioneer Jacques Cousteau,

Fabian spent his early days aboard his grandfather's ships, Calypso and

Elcyon, and felt drawn to the Oceanic family legacy.

Today he's fulfilling that dream with Proteus, which he calls the world's most advanced

underwater scientific research station and habitat to address humanity's most critical concerns,

medicinal discoveries, food sustainability, and the impacts of climate change.

We spoke with Kusto via email.

He said, there wasn't pressure placed on me to follow in the family fin steps, but growing up diving, starting at the age of four, and then taking adventures on the Calypso made for the most incredible classroom.

I learned so much from my grandparents and the other crew members.

Having that access to the ocean and its marine life was unparalleled.

Today I maintain that same wonder I had as a kid.

I'm still in awe of observing everything that the ocean has to offer and teach us.

What the ocean has to teach is largely still unknown.

According to Kusto, only 5% of it has been explored.

With Proteus, he's hoping to change that.

A project of the Fabion Cousteau Ocean Learning Center,

Proteus was conceived as the underwater version of the International Space Station.

Upon completion, the project will serve as a collaborative platform for researchers, government agencies,

and corporations throughout the world.

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