The mysteries of the ocean floor

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

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Summary

It’s often said we know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the Earth’s deep sea, and a new study is backing that up. Research from the Ocean Discovery League says just 0.001% of the world’s deep seafloor has ever been seen by humans.

We speak to lead author and deep sea explorer Dr Katy Croff Bell and marine biologist Dr Anna Gebruk from the University of Edinburgh, to ask whether we should be making more effort to investigate our oceans.

As events take place to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, presenter Victoria Gill also speaks to Professor David Edgerton from King’s College London to discuss what impact the Second World War had on scientific research and innovation.

We’re also joined by Penny Sarchet, managing editor at New Scientist, to look through some of the top science stories you might have missed this week.

And as David Attenborough celebrates his 99th birthday with the release of his latest film Ocean, we take a trip through the archives to hear some of his finest moments from more than 70 years of broadcasting.

Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Transcript

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0:00.0	Why do some big successful brands go bust?
0:05.0	Toast is back for a new series, taking a look at the decisions that often left investors burnt.
0:11.0	I'm Sean Farrington, a BBC business journalist. I'll be hearing about the hype.
0:15.0	They're going to do the deal that makes them the most money at that point of time.
0:19.0	And I'm picking what went wrong, talking to owners and employees to ask, what can we learn?
0:25.4	It was being undercut by similar rivals. It just couldn't survive.
0:30.3	Toast. Listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:34.9	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:38.9	Hello, delightful and curious-minded listeners.
0:41.6	Welcome to BBC Inside Science, the podcast, first broadcast on the 8th of May 2025.
0:47.0	I'm Victoria Gill.
0:48.4	And today, we are diving into the unknown, because scientists are calling for a new global effort to explore the deep ocean.
0:56.2	And it's VE Day. As the celebrations and commemorations continue, we're taking a historical
1:01.5	view of the unexpected relationship between science and war. And Penny Sarshe is here,
1:07.2	managing editor of the new scientist, podcast host, and astute science watcher,
1:11.2	bringing us some of the top science stories that you might have missed. Hello, Penny. What have you
1:15.1	got for us? Hi, yeah, I've got, well, all the cool ancient Greeks we're listening to.
1:19.6	I'm looking forward to that. Excellent. So we have a little bit of music interlude later on.
1:23.1	Absolutely, yeah. First, though, to the deep ocean. Water covers more than 60% of our planet, and the ocean is the largest habitat on Earth,
1:32.3	with wildly diverse environments, deep ocean trenches, undersea mountains, and deep reefs.
1:38.3	You might have heard that old cliche that we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the deep sea.
1:50.2	But a study published just yesterday has revealed exactly how little we know about this deep, dark realm. The research led by the rather cinematically named Ocean Discovery League
	...

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