I was brought into the channel for the Subnautica, but I'm sure everyone who was brought in by that is also interested in the science. The "Marine Biologist" part of "Marine Biologist plays Subnautica" is a big part of the draw.
Maria, if you're going to be a pro youtuber and communicator, by all means PLEASE allow us to crowdfund you a decent gaming and video editing PC and a camera that doesn't die periodically 😹😹😹
I know you didn't mention it, but I'd love to hear one day you help developers making games like Subnautica as a Marine Biologist consultant, making sure they get X or Y or Z right, or explaining why this type of fish might act like this, and why that crustacean is probably more a scavenger than direct hunter. I could see that being a very fun and creative way to express your love of the ocean, and help increase general awareness of ocean life sciences.
@@MrUth99 Saw one fun chart that explained a rough ecosystem for an area. You had the following rough areas: 1) energy gatherers (i.e. plants, lichen, mushrooms, chemosynthesis, etc). These take energy into the system and put it into a compact form of energy. There can be multiple layers of these plants, such as groundcover (i.e. kudzu), grasses, shrubs, and 1-2 layers of trees. 2) Herbivores - the insects/seed-eaters/other creatures that consume from #1, taking advantage of the amounts of energy that are concentrated. They move from food source to food source. Sizes range from insects (leaf-cutter ants, crickets) to gigantic (elephant). Each size will likely feed on different categories of plant foods. The giant herbivores are at the stage where the adults are not preyed by the local predators because they are too big (but children and aging elders are still preyed upon) 3) carnivores - they feed on the various herbivores. Insect-eating creatures, small/fast predators for the smaller herbivores, larger/stronger predators for the larger herbivores. Some may prefer daytime hunting, others night-time hunting, some may try for both by adjusting their senses based on time of day. 4) Decay/waste processing critters - dung beetles, vultures, hyenas, etc, all working to take waste material and dead creatures and turn it into more materials for themselves. They are subject to the feeding successes of other creatures, and are often preyed upon as well. So in a single biome you would roughly have 4 types of plants, 4 types of herbivores, 3 types of carnivores, and 4-5 types of detrivores. This is for one region. If one type of creature is lost in a biome, then a similar creature may migrate from a neighboring biome to take up the ecological niche (or a local creature may mutate over time to become different species to fill the niche). Each of those creatures would have their own feeding/travel habits, so you might have some carnivores that barely do anything during the day, but at night they come out and perform surprise attacks from below (and the prey species will tend to have lighter colored bellies). You could have detrivores that will ignore the player character if they are above 60% health, but if the player character gets below that then these critters will start showing up more often (the PC is starting to smell weak), and at 25% the detrivores will actually attack the PC. The key is to figure out where the energy for a region comes from, what would feed on that energy source, and then have fun developing predator/prey interactions. If the primary food supply is hot vents in the ocean depths, then chemovores will be far more common, spawning hundreds of seeds at a time, hoping that one of the seeds will be able to take 'root' near another Hot Smoker. Predators might have large reserves of fat so they can travel from one Hot smoker to another, gorging themselves on critters they find near a Hot Smoker, breeding while thy have the chance, then traveling to another Hot Smoker when the food supply runs low. Now set up this chart for the ~2 dozen biomes of Subnautica. One google search that gave me some good results was "Creating a fictional food web"
I'm an ocean geek, and have been working to use 3D gaming to draw separate worlds together. So much fun. Check this paper: Steenbeek, J., G. Romagnoni, J. Bentley, J. Heymans, N. Serpetti, M. Gonçalves, C. Santos, H. Warmelink, I. Mayer, X. Keijser, R. Fairgrieve, and L. Abspoel. 2020. Combining ecosystem modeling with serious gaming in support of transboundary maritime spatial planning. Ecology and Society 25(2).
"This could lead to people misunderstanding science and mistrusting science" One of our biggest problems nowadays... People don't know how science work, they don't know how biology work, physics, maths, history, sociology, philosophy, and every other type of research field that uses a form of scientific method: people don't know how they work And when you have a population that at large doesn't understand the basics of getting knowledge on a subject, that's a door open to anyone that serves them a very comfortable half-lie or down right misinforms them. I wouldn't mind this channel becoming a Kurtzgesagt-type channel (scientific popularisation) _Mariagesagt_ has a nice ring to it ! :D
The main probem is not how science is conducted, or that people know or don't know how. The problem is by and large how science is used. And today, everything is politicized and adapted to the narrative of those who control the world. And as more facts and truths, digged up by true scientists and journalists, slip through the net of censorship and reach teh public. Well, then distrust in the established system ensues.
@@Vestlandsguten The phrasing of your comment sounds like you believe most science is censored and only a handful of studies are not politically motivated. I would disagree. I think the opposite is true: most scientists are respectable human beings and only a handful are true bad actors. Take for example the 1998 Andrew Wakefield study that tied vaccination to autism; a bad study from a bad acting scientist slipped through the nets of review. Even after being discredited, the public still latched onto the study and used it to push the anti-vaxxer cause. I don't think the distrust is there because "facts and truth" are slipping through some "net of censorship". I think the distrust is as stated, a lack of understanding of science. I think what a lot of people fail to realize is that science is not a monolith. People call it "science" and refer to reseachers as "scientists" all collectively, but each field has their own methodologies and each scientist has their own flaws and biases. Many studies will have mistakes not because they were done on purpose, but because scientists are imperfect human beings. The public needs to understand that just because one study gets tagged with some sensational headline like "eye color is associated with intelligence" doesn't mean that the entire field agrees with the conclusions. And many people reading such an article don't even understand how limited the scope of the study actually is. If people understood this, then a badly done study like the 1998 Andrew Wakefield publication would have much less of a negative impact since people should be going "Well, what does the rest of the field think?" before coming to a conclusion.
@@SadFace201 Exactly. And this is coupled with people's innability to look up research online and understanding what they set out to do, what their conclusions were, what the limits of the research are, and what questions the research doesn't respond to. That's why now more than ever we need science communicators. But this won't work unless most of the population has the basics of what science even is. But when I see the amount of misinformation going around on a subject as critical as Covid Vaccines, my heart sinks. Especially since the information about RNA vaccines is readily accessible by a simple google search, and only very basic knowledge of biology is required to understand the machanisms of RNA-vaccination.
I'm from the Philippines. Caring about the environment is usually seen as "useless" because most people are usually too busy trying not to go under poverty while they don't realize that they are not leaving a better environment for future generations to live in because we too have a despicable system stacked against people. I live next to the West Philippine Sea and the general area near me has beaches that are either polluted with matter both organic and inorganic, or has too much predators (stray cats been feasting on them baby turtles). Canals are clogged with bottles of alcohol. A notable river doesn't even have water anymore, and people have built a fence in it's place for reasons I don't know. I wish that, despite everything, people here would AT LEAST throw their trash properly. All those cleanups I participated in were for nothing because of the lack of care for the environment. Most of those people aren't willing to be educated either and I've seen some audacity come from them.
I'm really sorry to hear that. Unfortunately it is really difficult to tell people to care about the environment when they can barely take care of their own life and their families. They already have so much to worry about. But taking care of the environment goes hand in hand with developing a healthy surrounding for a better life. There is still a long way to go, and local education and movement are super important. What you do with cleanups and trying to get people involved is super important :)
Go here in Bataan, you'll be jailed for not throwing your trash properly. The garbage collector will not collect your trash if it's not segragated. There are also lot of nature reserve like in Mabuco, every year there's a pawikan festival in celebration for turtle hatchlings or the wetlands where you can do bird watching. The locals are great, there are field trips dedicated to tree planting and cleanup of the almacen river. There is hope, however, these places are clean maybe because they are a tourist attraction. When we scuba dive near in BNPP, we saw nothing but sea urchin and bleached coral reefs. The mayor also announced the new construction of a coal power plant. My main concern about this province is the process of transition to industrialization. Being in a peninsula. A lot of our culture revolves in either historical landmark old cathedral churches, forest, mountains, and the water and river surrounding us.
@@Seamemaria I still hope for a future (maybe like two centuries from now considering my country's... culture) where everyone has enough education to care for the environment. Right now I'm still willing to go on cleanups (if covid rates drop to 0 that is). There's a mangrove forest next to my city that are full of trash brought by a current
@@yumul3072 I heard Baguio has similar laws with Bataan though I don't know to what extent they are enforced coz I've been to both cities (morong specifically in bataan) and have seen areas that are just as polluted as my city. At least it's nice to hear some parts of Bataan care though.
This is actually good, you're engaging with the gaming community to attract younger generation to marine biology community. Hopefully it'll be awesome.
yeah, uh, Maria, what Levy McGarden said is IS ESSENTIAL. Thank you Levy!! Look, that is a great idea. If you want to make the research world of Marine Biology grow....if you want the interest in Marine Biology to boom.....If you want your career to boom and to revolutionize the "system", then REACHING OUT to the younger gaming community and showing them there is a great new world out there for them, in marine biology....IS A GREAT IDEA.
Being passionate about a subject makes others passionate about that subject. Your character is infectious and I find myself wanting to learn more about the ocean through your channel. I think you should embrace that and you will achieve this "closed-loop" science to general public in no time!
The title of this video scared me. But I didn't wanna make a hurried comment crying in my corner, so I waited to watch the entire video. This video was definitely very interesting. Watching you explain this, and getting a better understanding of a career I am considering following was great. The scepticism behind making this channel and its content, the way you delivered this educational tool to us, it's all amazing. You've become a very nice part of my Tuesday schedule. I like waiting for your gaming videos or watching your normal content. Your videos are so well-edited, and your channel is a hidden treasure in its entirety. But just because some of us pitched in for your Subnautica content, doesn't mean we're not gonna stay for the whole ride. Thank you, Maria, for trying to bridge the scientific community with, y'know, the rest of the world, What you do is great, and I'm looking forward to more of your awesome content.
I haven't tested it in depth, but she might discover that Below Zero may require a stronger computer than the original Subnautica. She was already borderline, I would certainly do some recording playing test before launching the series if I was her 💻
True. Before taking ecology this year as a biology student, I had no idea how nature works. I thought every specie worked against another. Turns out I was wrong 😂. The only specie that works against almost all species is sadly us.
Hey Maria!! I originally wanted to study Marine Biology, but due to lack of opportunities, I didn't. But I think it would be really cool if you could create some contents that inform folks of the basics. I think, for example, basics of fish taxonomy, or marine ecosystems. I think learning the basics first, people will begin to understand and have an attachment to it :D
Oh so Subnautica was the ultimate Maria game then. For real though, appreciate what you do Maria. Science communication is more important than ever, and you're making bringing attention to marine biology super fun. I'm excited to see you play Below Zero but also excited to see what else you do with this channel.
"this is what i want to do, not sure how it will work" we continue the SCIENCE ... i discovered this channel from the Subnautica videos but i also took marine biology in high school ... (sea cucumbers are cool to handle )
Love your passion, your honestly and your straight forward delivery. It’s obvious you’re conflicted on how to use your platform to move the needle in the right direction... but honestly I’d say keep doing as you are. Doing what you enjoy and making videos about that and I’m sure you’ll find your niche and show others there’s a different route outside of scientific circles. You’re great, keep up the good work.
You have inspired me to learn more about the ocean you mean a lot to us. I'm not here for the video games I'm here for the science so I'm very excited to hear that you are getting back to doing more marine biology work!
My dream profession is to become a paleontologist. Though I'm forever fascinated by Earth's natural history and geology and prehistoric creatures, I was so ready to gave up on pursuing paleontology as a career. It was mostly due to fears of being jobless, or underpaid, or being under-appreciated, etc. Before watching this video, I completely forgot why I love this field of science so much in the first place. Even though you're a marine biologist, your speech on reaching out to the outside community; using your knowledge to prove the importance of science and to inspire others to pursue science as well, has lit up my passion for paleontology once again. Thank you.
Personally, I would love to see you watch more movies featuring the ocean like"Jaws" and "The Abyss", "Open Water", to give us your impressions and debunk shark myths, stuff of that sort... I really enjoyed the cephalopod video from last week, wonderfully shot and narrated. Great collaboration, but even you reacting to old episodes of Jacques Cousteau and giving us updates on what we now know, could be a lot of fun. Whatever you do, we're with you for your journey. We know that you and your content are science based, family friendly, funny, caring, inspiring compassionate, all around wonderful. Carl Sagan, Jaques Cousteau, and the others... my heroes too, and I would put you on that list as well. 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'s ! Great video, as usual..
"Hi everyone, today I want to talk to you about the future of this channel. And right off the bat, no, I'm not gonna quit RUclips, but I- - " 'Nuff said, I'm happy! :)
Thanks Maria. I'm one of those who found your channel through SubNautica (LOVE these games SO much) and your vids are such a refreshing change from typical youtube gamer vids. Keep doing what you do. Your instincts for content, not just gaming, and the genuine and honest approach you take are absolutely appreciated. You've got a large audience and here's hoping it leads to more connections for you in the future. Thanks for sharing.
i wanted to study marine biology and dive into the ocean, but didnt get the chance too, so im a farmer and study and care for farm animals too give them rights too but great video Maria, i will still dive straight into the ocean but as a hobby ya know
I left my phone in my friends car so I jumped on my computer to type this. I just started watching you a few weeks ago because of Subnautica. But since watching I've grown to love your personality and you're an absolute joy to watch and I would continue watching even if you posted exclusively Marine biologist content. I'm happy to hear you're making things work for yourself and I wish you all the best and hope you get to go to the ocean sometime very soon I'm sure you miss it very much. Much Love
Oi, Maria! Eu conheci o teu canal principalmente pelos vídeos de Subnautica, mas fiquei pois gostei muito dos outros vídeos sobre biologia. Como cientista frustrada aqui no Brasil, entendo o teu sentimento sobre a academia. És uma excelente comunicadora e tenho certeza que teu trabalho ajuda muitas pessoas que por aqui passam. Te desejo todo sucesso do mundo!
I am a Natural Resource Education. I totally understand your point about the scientific community being stuck in a loop. This is why I am so passionate about educating kids about why taking care of the oceans is so important. Topics like how noise pollution affects marine life and how sonar affects whales need to be talked about more often. There needs to be a website that breaks down scientific papers into simpler terms in order for the public to understand what the research is about.
I gotta second the sentiment about the disconnect between academia and the population at large. I understand the need for peer review but knowledge should not be obfuscated behind pay walls and lofty memberships. Research is a highly taxing, meagerly rewarding profession that most of us want to get into merely out of our pure love for science. My personal experience, living in a developing third world nation, has been that research is often a domain of the elite. I've nearly given up on my research aspirations and settled for an engineering career purely because the latter is more welcoming. I'm glad people like yourself exist in this world who yearn to bridge the gap between academia and common knowledge. I wish you you well in your future endeavours. You have a fan in me Dr. Pinto! :)
A little bit of feedback: if you want to get more into videomaking and science communication through videos, I would suggest diving (pun intended) into the sound aspect of it. In video as in film: sound is king. You've certainly experienced this yourself: you can bear to watch a "meh" video, even a crappy video sometimes, IF the sound is good. The opposite is not true: you can have gorgeous cinematic dramatic shots upon shots, if the sound is bad, you'll close the video. You're currently not bad certainly, but as you have heard it while editing this very video: just by moving your microphone, you had a much cleaner and better audio (because of less reverb, a less lively environment, and a slightly better signal/noise ratio). So I would suggest as the next steps in your training journey: learn as much as possible about sound production on top of what you already know. How to record sound (how to deal with reverb, acoustic treatment of hard surfaces), how to mix it, and so on. Because your recording (as opposed to live) in your living room is relatively easy mode (not as easy as a vocal booth or pro studio, but still), on location is harder, and it's hard to find a more difficult location than the sea. There's a lot to be learned from RUclips, although as always you have to triple check advice and who's giving it. The channel of Curtis Judd is always a nice starting point for video lighting, and sounds. And of course online courses, podcasts, and the like. TL,DR: if you want to learn more about videomaking and video science communication, sound is king. Yes it's fun to learn about dramatic complex 4 points lighting, and LUT and color grading and how to move the camera and blocking and so on. With bad, or just "meh" average sound, it won't mean much 🤒 Just my 2 cents. And good luck in your endeavors!
As a fellow scientist, gamer, and PhD student - I love what you do! It's so awesome to see members of the science community working through social media to increase science literacy! Keep on educating!
So true Maria, we as scientists really need to step out of our bubbles! A lot of science institutions are starting to do this by funding research that will have a higher and measurable societal impact, but the change is very slow!
Honestly, the ocean scares the living daylights out of me. My friend got me into Subnautica and even introduced me to your channel later on which intrigued me on the subject of marine biology. Despite my fear of the ocean, I find it so fascinating. I don’t plan on exploring an education into marine biology but I do love learning anything scientific about our world. Your passion for Marine Biology attracts those who love to learn!
I learned about your channel only today, after searching for Subnautica base building videos. Glad I found it. I'm interested in marine biology as well, so I might check out your non-Subnautica content, too. Greetings from Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, where the North Sea and wadden sea ecosystem aren't far, but unfortunately too murky near the coast.
Social media is definetly the new medium for science communication. As you say, there are too few who can effectively talk to the community and enlighten them on the science fields. Thank you for your work.
1. Your passion for science is amazing to see 2. Thank YOU for being on RUclips! 3. I can hardly wait for you to play Below Zero. I think you're gonna love it
I'm not here because of Subnautica, I love it and it's been a great series (really excited for Below Zero), but there are many people playing Subnautica.... I'm here because of YOU! You playing Subnautica, you talking about the ocean, you talking about marine biology, you talking about things you love.... I'm here because of Maria :) And I'm sure I'm not the only one
Hi Maria, I follow you because you remind me of a beautiful Mermaid. I love you. I wanted to be a Marine Biologist but I am a Film maker. I write scripts, music all this with 2 Broken legs. I have Documentary to make and I'm creating some truly exciting things for a well known Space Simulator. I actually could easily spend time with you and just listen... Below Zero, I've already started. Maria, You are my dream and I really do wish I could have the Fairy tale ending with you but watching you via your video's will have to be suffice, it is better than not spending time with you at all. Good Luck, stay safe and Please know, You Matter.
Like the Prometheus who gave the fire and light to the mortal people, our dear Maria is giving away a light of marine biology science to us, regular people... amazing and I am very thankful to you for that! No matter what you will do in the future, just please don't stop!
hm good luck on your future, of course its going to be hard, but we belive in u. youtube its a good plataform to share cientific knoledge and im happy u are doing that too (sorry for the bad english... next time i will say it in brazilian portuguese)
First of all, you still look 18, congrats! I personally love your voice, accent and your personality. You make science interesting and I’m sure you will inspire a lot of people to enjoy learning about science. I’ll follow where you go with anticipation! 🤗🥰
I want to be a marine biologist too, I know it will be hard for me, but I am willing to commit and help my country to preserve Red Sea life, well that’s my country’s aim for 2030
I’m an ex-academic, no longer working in my field of study-conservation/wildlife. But it is still a huge part of my life and informs who I am every day. I fully support what you are doing. So honest, badass, and brave. You are great, you are needed. Thank you for the inspiration.
I'm half fluent in English, and when I saw your subnautica video I was amazed at the clarity of your pronunciation and the simplicity of your comments. I could follow you perfertly. Except when you get so excited that you talk super fast. I think you have a gift for communication and it would be great if you take advantage of it. I think the mixture of the video game and your comments about marine life is very good, it is a very beautiful way to connect those two different worlds. Other suggestions for videos: * Take a trip with some marine exploration and comment what they research (here are sponsors that will help you) * Make interview videos with scientists who want to get out of the loop, especially to explain the importance of climate change and the conservation of life in the oceans. * Make interview videos to Subnautica Players that teach what it's like to navigate the ocean of the game. Is it possible to play multiplayer, that's very fun also. * Seek collaboration for editing and improving the quality of your videos. And above all, what everyone here tells you: keep beeing yourself.
This is such an insightful video! I just started university and am planning on continuing to study marine biology. You’re channel has helped me understand more about what i want to do with my life! I also love your subnautica series and can’t wait to see more!
As a fellow marine biologist (just a masters here, not a PhD, plz no judge), I really resonate with this message. I'm an Australian, and while you might think that living in one of the best countries in the world for a wonderful marine environment would make getting your foot in the door in the industry easy, that's what I thought too. And so did my massive cohort of equally talented people. When we were still in school, we were fed this vision of the future where getting a degree was the best path to success, but with the current state of the world unfortunately science is just not well funded enough for every graduating scientist to get a job in their field. Eventually it was clear that a degree wasn't enough, you needed a postgrad of some kind. And now even that doesn't seem enough, with too few jobs for too many budding young scientists. It's pretty disheartening, even without the knowledge that our government has clearly not prioritised something as important as the ocean our country is literally surrounded by and known for. Science communication is probably the way forward for a lot of us; if we don't get the opportunity to save the ocean ourselves, then its up to us to make sure that others are motivated to do it!
Science communicators are much needed in this world. Thank you for using your platform to make science approachable to people that may not have a solid STEM background.
As a former scientist (I used to work in the private sector before I became disillusioned with corporate politics) now becoming a science teacher, I love the fact that there are other people out there using their scientific knowledge out there to spread awareness and enthusiasm towards science - especially biology which was my field of study as well. I used to work as a biologist who analysed water samples by identifying algal taxa present and it was extremely hard finding people to talk to about it. Keep doing what you're doing Maria. If anyone wants to hear some of my stories as a scientist I can share them too. Now I am close to being a science teacher and I aim to carry my enthusiasm of science into the classroom. Also, I referenced you as a science communicator in one of my teaching courses as a person who strived to make science more accessible to everyone.
While playing games for youtube may not have been part of what you imagined for your future after you finished your PhD, you are contributing massively to the current generation. You are having fun and showing your passion and love of the ocean and its creatures, even in fictional worlds. You talk about the differences and similarities, but also about what makes it so fascinating even to those who already know a lot about it. In the modern day, playing games is getting more involved in teaching people about various topics, but it helps massively that there are people like you who want to teach us, the viewers, about the ocean and creatures to show the beauty, the mystery and the incredible ecosystems living beneath our oceans in a way that photos and videos can't do, that is certainly a big contribution to your science in my opinion.
I came for the Subnautica, but I will definitely stay for the science content to come! As an engineer, doing "science" directly for product development, it was really fascinating to hear your explanation of how science in academia works. I think we (the human race in 2021) have a HUGE problem, where people don't understand how science works in industry, or academia. They think all scientists are peons of "the man", developing "poisons", and "hiding the truth". Nonsense like that spreads like wildfire, because most people don't personally know any academic scientists who can set them straight. Anyway, rant over, thank you for your content, and thank you for explaining academic science so eloquently!
Science communication is a noble endeavor Maria ! Science is mistreated and misappropriated so often, and is even viewed with suspicion in some parts of the world. People who promote a better understanding of scientific knowledge are sorely needed. And on a personal note, I've always been fascinated by the sea and marine ecosystems, I'm really enthusiastic at the idea of being able to watch a science communicator specialized on those subjects ! I'd love to learn more about what research and conservation projects are being worked on right now !
I am hungarian, and I want to be a marinebiologist or ecologist. I usually am really stressed about my future, my studies and future jobs. Your videos can calm me down, and inspire me, and I think I am not the only one with this. Thank you!
You have touched a ton of people's hearts in your vids , be it entertainment or scientific facts included into your material. We all love your way of introducing us to some facts, while being in a virtual medium. You have saved the Emperor Leviathan's bloodline and a whole planet of a biological armageddon, by simply restoring the ecological balance. ))) Thank you for being so optimistic and inquisitive with everything you do. )))
Well.... science communication, working on the water, diving daily and living marine biology.... happens to be what we do and what i offered you to join in ;-)
I have a spare guest room in my home here on the Big Island of Hawaii. If you ever need a place to start a base for your quest for knowledge in this corner in the pacific, you're more then welcome here. I've studied Paleontology and Astronomy all my life while working with computers and photography and think the highest persuit in life is one in science. Aloha Aina
I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s incredible to see your like to dislike ratio. I think you’re a great communicator, Maria and I’m pretty sure your community agrees! Thank you for sharing these parts of your journey with us!
I have a suggestion! Pairing Virtual Reality like VRChat or the other games that allow someone to make "Worlds" with real life marine biology info. In other words, being able to showcase info for people to explore in an interactive environment in some neat way, that would marry the science and things getting random non-scientists engaged in learning about it~!
Hi Maria! I'm one of those people who came here because of the subnautica stuff, but grew fond of you and your projects. Also, as a native Brazilian I was surprised when I saw your podcasts in portuguese. Me, just like you, have started my career because of my wish to adquire knowledge and help the world, for a better future, as I'm currently studying Biology as a bachelor, and my passion and hobbie is botanic. I hope to stay here and learn your view from your science "bubble", from the more aquatic base of biology as, as different as we are, we are also similar.
I think many great and innovative endeavors start out with "I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work". Looking forward to what we see from you in the future Maria.
Ah, careers in this field is always challenging! We always have to adapt to whatever comes our way and what's the state of the world/country/state is in currently. In ways, that's the beauty of this field or any natural science field for that matter. Keep going, you are doing great! Dory: Just keep swimming, swimming,.......
I think your four heroes would be impressed with you and very proud of the way you think and communicate. I'm not really somebody who would get excited from meeting 'famous' people but if Sir David Attenborough walked into the room I would fanboy to the point of embarrassment. I love that guy.
Wish I had money so I could basically pay Maria to come over to Colombia and make a ton of videos on the huge marine diversity of our two connected oceans (Which is, surprisingly, poorly covered in mass media here). Loving your channel Maria, keep up the great work!
I can tell for sure that I've learned more up-to-date science here in RUclips than in any other source. I'm still learning a lot. What was the problem before this? Accessibility. Other media only care for inmediate revenue, be it in the form of sales of newspaper, magazine, public tv (ratings, advertisement) and so forth. Once a person, like me, enter the work force, there's little time and money to spend in those products. Sometimes, the information may to too complex, but still people need to have access. Thanks a lot to all the science and craftmanship communicators, tutorial creators as well, in RUclips and other similar platforms.
Hey Maria, another way to "open" the loop is to increase inter-disciplinary projects. Unfortunately, most inter-disciplinary projects are headed by entrepreneurs who are profit driven. So what can you do as a science communicator? You can do "deep-dive" videos that explain: 1. Beautiful things about the ocean (which you do a great job of, already) 2. Issues to threatened ecosystems/species 3. Introduce us to people who are directly involved in these things The aim being to not just raise awareness, but to also let people know what they can do to help and/or people to contact, what solutions have been employed, generate ideas and discussion. It's important that you show what non-scientists can do, otherwise you are telling your viewers to join academia and the circle repeats.
God, NO! Don't think about it like that. Yes, I've noticed this channel solely because I'm fond of Subnautica and your videos popped up in recommendations not so long ago. But! I've watched a lot of non-gaming videos on your channel by now and plan to watch all the remaining ones because it's so interesting and somewhat new(!) to watch the real scientific stuff in the open media. You know, like a direct communication. ^^ So, whatever you will be filming and putting further on your channel - I'm eager to watch and learn from those, because you are telling about interesting things with right emotion and wording, and you are young, beautiful, interesting and nice person to listen to and to learn from (try to deny that haha XD). Be like your heroes, be better then them - you are having your life road right ahead of you rn! ^^
Somewhat paradoxically, despite having watched all your subnautica videos, this video is what motivated me to subscribe. I really enjoyed your octopus video and look forward to more educational vids in the future.
6:04 and yes I watch your videos unrelated to Subnautica that come out and even watched your older videos on occasion but do know that it _was_ Subnautica and you playing it that got me here. Don't underestimate that effect.
that's interesting about the scientific loop you mentioned. i was watching a joe rogan podcast where he had a scientist on, and he said a similar thing, where you're in a bubble and sometimes even discouraged from communicating ideas to people outside the science community. what you're doing is great! you're beautiful, smart, and have interesting viewpoints. i personally like your movie reactions the most
I love your game play AND your excitement for sharing info about the world's oceans! As of Feb 2021, More than eighty percent of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. So it's awesome seeing you share the info! Keep being great!
I started watching you because of Subnautica, but only because you were a marine biologist. I was intrigued by the added dynamic. Now I watch all the videos you produce, and I'm enjoying your production elements and content. Your accent also helps! I'm an IT manager for a medium sized school district in the US, and I understand the need for translating technical language into something that is more commonly comprehensible, and doing so in a manner that is engaging for the audience. I think it is an excellent and important path for you to take, and I wish you all the best in your endeavors. Thank you for all you do!
Your my hero, Maria. Like others, I watched the Subnautica, but I already had some interest in ocean science. AND THEN YOUR comments and teachings WHILE you played Subnautica hooked me. It was like going into a lab where you showed us living examples of the Ocean science principles of coral and stuff. It was great. Living illustrations and living examples of the life and ecosystem. Thank you Maria. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE UP. And BTW, you already know this, but you are gorgeous. NOBODY....nobody has eyes like that. You belong on TV or film documentaries. You should be their spokeswoman. YOu need a job as a woman film documentary presenter.
you deserve over a million subs, I hope your channel grows (both your career aspect and gaming aspect) for years to come! You should start a crowdfunding for better filming and gaming appliances! Many of us would be willing to donate
Hi Maria! Thank you so much for what you do with this channel. I started watching your videos for the Subnautica content, but I chose your videos because of your unique viewpoint as a marine biologist. I can watch just anybody play the game for the first time, but I was always curious as to how much the developers tried to incorporate reality or semblances to reality into the game, and the facts you add in your videos definitely help to understand these things. What you are doing with your knowledge is incredibly important and appreciated! As a kid, I gained more scientific information that I have retained into adulthood through entertaining scientific content, such as The magic school bus (a US based public television cartoon about science). What you do provides context to marine concerns, and makes it relateable. Keep up the good work, we are all learning from your hard work!
@Maria - Your enthusiasm is fantastic, not only regarding marine science but also in spreading a general appreciation for the importance of science to the world in general. You have the three most important factors for success - that infectious passion for your subject, extremely strong communications skills, and a demonstrable commitment to seeking out and applying 'alternative' methods to achieve your goals (e.g,, RUclips). There are many brilliant and talented people in academia but too many lack the personal application necessary for real success, let alone the ability to think laterally. Keep up the good work. ;)
Mad respect for trying to bridge that gap. As a non-scientist, I value knowledge itself. I live in a country where too many decisions are made while either ignoring science or outright denying/vilifying it. Loving your subnautica vids too! I'm a drone pilot, and seriously, if you find yourself getting out to the ocean to make content and would like a drone operator there to grab aerial footage for that content, please please please reach out to me. If I can feasibly get to that destination, I will. Love the water. Love the animals.
I was changing my YT habit in awhile now and sort of purging popular but problematic YTers out of my timeline (drama channels, makeup gurus (except genuinely funny and good makeup YTers e.g. Robert Welsh), and others. I’m really glad I found you because of Subnautica and now I’m also staying for the marine biology knowledge. Thank you for sharing your knowledge as well as conservation efforts. Please continue to bridge the gap between us and the science.
I think as a science populariser about marine biology, your channel is very interesting, and as a gamer, I can say I saw the entire subnautica series and I've really enjoyed it because your naturality and your special knowledgments so for my part, congratulations and keep up the good work.
Maria~~~ I actually came here from your Megaladon reaction video! I loved learning about the scientific accuracy about these films. I really love you and all that you do! Goodluck with everything~~~ I'm sticking with you for the rest of it!
Like a lot of people I also found your channel through Subnautica, but I also really love the ocean and find it it incredibly fascinating. I've really enjoyed both your reactions in Subnautica and learning about our oceans. Thank you for what you do and can't wait to see you play Below Zero!
Allright then, time to crowdfund a mini-submarine, so Maria can play Subnautica in real life!
HahahA! I would love a mini-submarine xD
I like that idea. Would donate.
take my money
Community funded sciences sounds like a great way to allow scientists to get away from the yoke and whip of corporate profiteering.
Being a science influencer can look like crowdfunding for different researchers and getting to go out on the boat with them.
came for the subnautica stayed for ocean knowledge
My thoughts exactly.
me 2
same
for me it's the other way round
If you think about it, your heroes really were science communicators too!
True!
I was brought into the channel for the Subnautica, but I'm sure everyone who was brought in by that is also interested in the science. The "Marine Biologist" part of "Marine Biologist plays Subnautica" is a big part of the draw.
Maria, if you're going to be a pro youtuber and communicator, by all means PLEASE allow us to crowdfund you a decent gaming and video editing PC and a camera that doesn't die periodically 😹😹😹
my words! Below Zero looks awesome. Not necessarily on lowest settings at 15fps ^^ Upgrading would be so worth it
Yes absolutely, just to see her with a smile playing on high settings, worth it. Please allow us :")
Agree; please start some crowdfunding project so you can buy a new PC, before starting Below Zero!
@@marcadenexus I think ‘before starting Below Zero’ might be a bit late, she's probably starting next week 😸
i hope she doesn't become a gamer. i'd rather see work-related vlogs or mini-documentaries about marine life when covid's over
I know you didn't mention it, but I'd love to hear one day you help developers making games like Subnautica as a Marine Biologist consultant, making sure they get X or Y or Z right, or explaining why this type of fish might act like this, and why that crustacean is probably more a scavenger than direct hunter. I could see that being a very fun and creative way to express your love of the ocean, and help increase general awareness of ocean life sciences.
I'm a dev and I actually emailed her for this specific type of help but unfortunately didn't hear back
@@MrUth99 Saw one fun chart that explained a rough ecosystem for an area. You had the following rough areas:
1) energy gatherers (i.e. plants, lichen, mushrooms, chemosynthesis, etc). These take energy into the system and put it into a compact form of energy. There can be multiple layers of these plants, such as groundcover (i.e. kudzu), grasses, shrubs, and 1-2 layers of trees.
2) Herbivores - the insects/seed-eaters/other creatures that consume from #1, taking advantage of the amounts of energy that are concentrated. They move from food source to food source. Sizes range from insects (leaf-cutter ants, crickets) to gigantic (elephant). Each size will likely feed on different categories of plant foods. The giant herbivores are at the stage where the adults are not preyed by the local predators because they are too big (but children and aging elders are still preyed upon)
3) carnivores - they feed on the various herbivores. Insect-eating creatures, small/fast predators for the smaller herbivores, larger/stronger predators for the larger herbivores. Some may prefer daytime hunting, others night-time hunting, some may try for both by adjusting their senses based on time of day.
4) Decay/waste processing critters - dung beetles, vultures, hyenas, etc, all working to take waste material and dead creatures and turn it into more materials for themselves. They are subject to the feeding successes of other creatures, and are often preyed upon as well.
So in a single biome you would roughly have 4 types of plants, 4 types of herbivores, 3 types of carnivores, and 4-5 types of detrivores. This is for one region. If one type of creature is lost in a biome, then a similar creature may migrate from a neighboring biome to take up the ecological niche (or a local creature may mutate over time to become different species to fill the niche). Each of those creatures would have their own feeding/travel habits, so you might have some carnivores that barely do anything during the day, but at night they come out and perform surprise attacks from below (and the prey species will tend to have lighter colored bellies). You could have detrivores that will ignore the player character if they are above 60% health, but if the player character gets below that then these critters will start showing up more often (the PC is starting to smell weak), and at 25% the detrivores will actually attack the PC.
The key is to figure out where the energy for a region comes from, what would feed on that energy source, and then have fun developing predator/prey interactions. If the primary food supply is hot vents in the ocean depths, then chemovores will be far more common, spawning hundreds of seeds at a time, hoping that one of the seeds will be able to take 'root' near another Hot Smoker. Predators might have large reserves of fat so they can travel from one Hot smoker to another, gorging themselves on critters they find near a Hot Smoker, breeding while thy have the chance, then traveling to another Hot Smoker when the food supply runs low.
Now set up this chart for the ~2 dozen biomes of Subnautica.
One google search that gave me some good results was "Creating a fictional food web"
I'm an ocean geek, and have been working to use 3D gaming to draw separate worlds together. So much fun. Check this paper: Steenbeek, J., G. Romagnoni, J. Bentley, J. Heymans, N. Serpetti, M. Gonçalves, C. Santos, H. Warmelink, I. Mayer, X. Keijser, R. Fairgrieve, and L. Abspoel. 2020. Combining ecosystem modeling with serious gaming in support of transboundary maritime spatial planning. Ecology and Society 25(2).
"This could lead to people misunderstanding science and mistrusting science"
One of our biggest problems nowadays... People don't know how science work, they don't know how biology work, physics, maths, history, sociology, philosophy, and every other type of research field that uses a form of scientific method: people don't know how they work
And when you have a population that at large doesn't understand the basics of getting knowledge on a subject, that's a door open to anyone that serves them a very comfortable half-lie or down right misinforms them.
I wouldn't mind this channel becoming a Kurtzgesagt-type channel (scientific popularisation)
_Mariagesagt_ has a nice ring to it ! :D
Agree....i know far to many people who think science is BS anymore which ... is sad.
The main probem is not how science is conducted, or that people know or don't know how. The problem is by and large how science is used. And today, everything is politicized and adapted to the narrative of those who control the world. And as more facts and truths, digged up by true scientists and journalists, slip through the net of censorship and reach teh public. Well, then distrust in the established system ensues.
Facts
@@Vestlandsguten The phrasing of your comment sounds like you believe most science is censored and only a handful of studies are not politically motivated. I would disagree. I think the opposite is true: most scientists are respectable human beings and only a handful are true bad actors. Take for example the 1998 Andrew Wakefield study that tied vaccination to autism; a bad study from a bad acting scientist slipped through the nets of review. Even after being discredited, the public still latched onto the study and used it to push the anti-vaxxer cause. I don't think the distrust is there because "facts and truth" are slipping through some "net of censorship". I think the distrust is as stated, a lack of understanding of science.
I think what a lot of people fail to realize is that science is not a monolith. People call it "science" and refer to reseachers as "scientists" all collectively, but each field has their own methodologies and each scientist has their own flaws and biases. Many studies will have mistakes not because they were done on purpose, but because scientists are imperfect human beings. The public needs to understand that just because one study gets tagged with some sensational headline like "eye color is associated with intelligence" doesn't mean that the entire field agrees with the conclusions. And many people reading such an article don't even understand how limited the scope of the study actually is. If people understood this, then a badly done study like the 1998 Andrew Wakefield publication would have much less of a negative impact since people should be going "Well, what does the rest of the field think?" before coming to a conclusion.
@@SadFace201
Exactly.
And this is coupled with people's innability to look up research online and understanding what they set out to do, what their conclusions were, what the limits of the research are, and what questions the research doesn't respond to.
That's why now more than ever we need science communicators.
But this won't work unless most of the population has the basics of what science even is.
But when I see the amount of misinformation going around on a subject as critical as Covid Vaccines, my heart sinks.
Especially since the information about RNA vaccines is readily accessible by a simple google search, and only very basic knowledge of biology is required to understand the machanisms of RNA-vaccination.
I'm from the Philippines. Caring about the environment is usually seen as "useless" because most people are usually too busy trying not to go under poverty while they don't realize that they are not leaving a better environment for future generations to live in
because we too have a despicable system stacked against people. I live next to the West Philippine Sea and the general area near me has beaches that are either polluted with matter both organic and inorganic, or has too much predators (stray cats been feasting on them baby turtles). Canals are clogged with bottles of alcohol. A notable river doesn't even have water anymore, and people have built a fence in it's place for reasons I don't know. I wish that, despite everything, people here would AT LEAST throw their trash properly. All those cleanups I participated in were for nothing because of the lack of care for the environment. Most of those people aren't willing to be educated either and I've seen some audacity come from them.
I'm really sorry to hear that. Unfortunately it is really difficult to tell people to care about the environment when they can barely take care of their own life and their families. They already have so much to worry about. But taking care of the environment goes hand in hand with developing a healthy surrounding for a better life. There is still a long way to go, and local education and movement are super important. What you do with cleanups and trying to get people involved is super important :)
Go here in Bataan, you'll be jailed for not throwing your trash properly. The garbage collector will not collect your trash if it's not segragated. There are also lot of nature reserve like in Mabuco, every year there's a pawikan festival in celebration for turtle hatchlings or the wetlands where you can do bird watching. The locals are great, there are field trips dedicated to tree planting and cleanup of the almacen river. There is hope, however, these places are clean maybe because they are a tourist attraction. When we scuba dive near in BNPP, we saw nothing but sea urchin and bleached coral reefs. The mayor also announced the new construction of a coal power plant. My main concern about this province is the process of transition to industrialization. Being in a peninsula. A lot of our culture revolves in either historical landmark old cathedral churches, forest, mountains, and the water and river surrounding us.
@@Seamemaria I still hope for a future (maybe like two centuries from now considering my country's... culture) where everyone has enough education to care for the environment. Right now I'm still willing to go on cleanups (if covid rates drop to 0 that is). There's a mangrove forest next to my city that are full of trash brought by a current
@@yumul3072 I heard Baguio has similar laws with Bataan though I don't know to what extent they are enforced coz I've been to both cities (morong specifically in bataan) and have seen areas that are just as polluted as my city. At least it's nice to hear some parts of Bataan care though.
west philipines sea😂 its East Malaysia Sea
This is most definitely more important then my math test
Haha I wouldn't be so sure =P but I feel honored ^^
Maybe focus on grammar, too.
@@Wheelygonzales Maybe TheMerc intends to do his math test afterwards? ;)
@@Wheelygonzales and you can focus on punctuation. 😂
@@xanthipussofsparta6555 What's wrong with my punctuation?
This is actually good, you're engaging with the gaming community to attract younger generation to marine biology community. Hopefully it'll be awesome.
yeah, uh, Maria, what Levy McGarden said is IS ESSENTIAL. Thank you Levy!! Look, that is a great idea. If you want to make the research world of Marine Biology grow....if you want the interest in Marine Biology to boom.....If you want your career to boom and to revolutionize the "system", then REACHING OUT to the younger gaming community and showing them there is a great new world out there for them, in marine biology....IS A GREAT IDEA.
Being passionate about a subject makes others passionate about that subject. Your character is infectious and I find myself wanting to learn more about the ocean through your channel. I think you should embrace that and you will achieve this "closed-loop" science to general public in no time!
Thank you! Knowing this really means a lot :)
The title of this video scared me. But I didn't wanna make a hurried comment crying in my corner, so I waited to watch the entire video.
This video was definitely very interesting. Watching you explain this, and getting a better understanding of a career I am considering following was great. The scepticism behind making this channel and its content, the way you delivered this educational tool to us, it's all amazing.
You've become a very nice part of my Tuesday schedule. I like waiting for your gaming videos or watching your normal content. Your videos are so well-edited, and your channel is a hidden treasure in its entirety.
But just because some of us pitched in for your Subnautica content, doesn't mean we're not gonna stay for the whole ride. Thank you, Maria, for trying to bridge the scientific community with, y'know, the rest of the world, What you do is great, and I'm looking forward to more of your awesome content.
Thank you so much! This really means a lot to me
I’m so excited to see you play Subnautica Below Zero! There is so much life and lots of cute animals
I can't wait!!
@@Seamemaria And also the void is scarier
@@Superlizardy36 MUCH scarier
@@Superlizardy36 ahah i was actually disappointed in the void, i just don’t think anything lives up to the ghost leviathans
I haven't tested it in depth, but she might discover that Below Zero may require a stronger computer than the original Subnautica. She was already borderline, I would certainly do some recording playing test before launching the series if I was her 💻
Thank you for trying to breach the gap some people don´t even know exists.
I always enjoy your videos. You explain so well.
Thank you! It means a lot =) This is a topic which is really close to my heart.
True. Before taking ecology this year as a biology student, I had no idea how nature works. I thought every specie worked against another. Turns out I was wrong 😂. The only specie that works against almost all species is sadly us.
Top 3 currencies throughout the world:
3. Euros
2. USD
1. Research paper citations
Hey Maria!! I originally wanted to study Marine Biology, but due to lack of opportunities, I didn't. But I think it would be really cool if you could create some contents that inform folks of the basics. I think, for example, basics of fish taxonomy, or marine ecosystems. I think learning the basics first, people will begin to understand and have an attachment to it :D
That sounds awesome! You should definitely do it :)
Agree, I'd be super interested to find out how life evolved and diverged and how everything relates to each other :o
This brilliant has:
~Brilliant knowledge
~Brilliant editing
~Brilliant personality
And ZERO dislikes. This, THIS is content. Excellent job.
Oh so Subnautica was the ultimate Maria game then.
For real though, appreciate what you do Maria. Science communication is more important than ever, and you're making bringing attention to marine biology super fun. I'm excited to see you play Below Zero but also excited to see what else you do with this channel.
"this is what i want to do, not sure how it will work" we continue the SCIENCE ... i discovered this channel from the Subnautica videos but i also took marine biology in high school ... (sea cucumbers are cool to handle )
Follow your heart, follow your dreams.
Love your passion, your honestly and your straight forward delivery. It’s obvious you’re conflicted on how to use your platform to move the needle in the right direction... but honestly I’d say keep doing as you are. Doing what you enjoy and making videos about that and I’m sure you’ll find your niche and show others there’s a different route outside of scientific circles. You’re great, keep up the good work.
You have inspired me to learn more about the ocean you mean a lot to us. I'm not here for the video games I'm here for the science so I'm very excited to hear that you are getting back to doing more marine biology work!
My dream profession is to become a paleontologist. Though I'm forever fascinated by Earth's natural history and geology and prehistoric creatures, I was so ready to gave up on pursuing paleontology as a career. It was mostly due to fears of being jobless, or underpaid, or being under-appreciated, etc. Before watching this video, I completely forgot why I love this field of science so much in the first place. Even though you're a marine biologist, your speech on reaching out to the outside community; using your knowledge to prove the importance of science and to inspire others to pursue science as well, has lit up my passion for paleontology once again. Thank you.
Personally, I would love to see you watch more movies featuring the ocean like"Jaws" and "The Abyss", "Open Water", to give us your impressions and debunk shark myths, stuff of that sort...
I really enjoyed the cephalopod video from last week, wonderfully shot and narrated. Great collaboration, but even you reacting to old episodes of Jacques Cousteau and giving us updates on what we now know, could be a lot of fun.
Whatever you do, we're with you for your journey. We know that you and your content are science based, family friendly, funny, caring, inspiring compassionate, all around wonderful.
Carl Sagan, Jaques Cousteau, and the others... my heroes too, and I would put you on that list as well.
5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'s ! Great video, as usual..
"Hi everyone, today I want to talk to you about the future of this channel. And right off the bat, no, I'm not gonna quit RUclips, but I- - "
'Nuff said, I'm happy! :)
Thanks Maria. I'm one of those who found your channel through SubNautica (LOVE these games SO much) and your vids are such a refreshing change from typical youtube gamer vids. Keep doing what you do. Your instincts for content, not just gaming, and the genuine and honest approach you take are absolutely appreciated. You've got a large audience and here's hoping it leads to more connections for you in the future. Thanks for sharing.
i wanted to study marine biology and dive into the ocean, but didnt get the chance too, so im a farmer and study and care for farm animals too give them rights too but great video Maria, i will still dive straight into the ocean but as a hobby ya know
I left my phone in my friends car so I jumped on my computer to type this. I just started watching you a few weeks ago because of Subnautica. But since watching I've grown to love your personality and you're an absolute joy to watch and I would continue watching even if you posted exclusively Marine biologist content. I'm happy to hear you're making things work for yourself and I wish you all the best and hope you get to go to the ocean sometime very soon I'm sure you miss it very much. Much Love
Oi, Maria! Eu conheci o teu canal principalmente pelos vídeos de Subnautica, mas fiquei pois gostei muito dos outros vídeos sobre biologia. Como cientista frustrada aqui no Brasil, entendo o teu sentimento sobre a academia. És uma excelente comunicadora e tenho certeza que teu trabalho ajuda muitas pessoas que por aqui passam. Te desejo todo sucesso do mundo!
I am a Natural Resource Education. I totally understand your point about the scientific community being stuck in a loop. This is why I am so passionate about educating kids about why taking care of the oceans is so important. Topics like how noise pollution affects marine life and how sonar affects whales need to be talked about more often. There needs to be a website that breaks down scientific papers into simpler terms in order for the public to understand what the research is about.
Maria, I have never seen a video with over 5k views and not a single dislike! Wow we sure love you lady!
I gotta second the sentiment about the disconnect between academia and the population at large. I understand the need for peer review but knowledge should not be obfuscated behind pay walls and lofty memberships. Research is a highly taxing, meagerly rewarding profession that most of us want to get into merely out of our pure love for science. My personal experience, living in a developing third world nation, has been that research is often a domain of the elite. I've nearly given up on my research aspirations and settled for an engineering career purely because the latter is more welcoming. I'm glad people like yourself exist in this world who yearn to bridge the gap between academia and common knowledge. I wish you you well in your future endeavours. You have a fan in me Dr. Pinto! :)
I found you for subnautica and then enjoy a lot your personality, I am staying in this channel, keep it going
A little bit of feedback: if you want to get more into videomaking and science communication through videos, I would suggest diving (pun intended) into the sound aspect of it.
In video as in film: sound is king.
You've certainly experienced this yourself: you can bear to watch a "meh" video, even a crappy video sometimes, IF the sound is good. The opposite is not true: you can have gorgeous cinematic dramatic shots upon shots, if the sound is bad, you'll close the video.
You're currently not bad certainly, but as you have heard it while editing this very video: just by moving your microphone, you had a much cleaner and better audio (because of less reverb, a less lively environment, and a slightly better signal/noise ratio).
So I would suggest as the next steps in your training journey: learn as much as possible about sound production on top of what you already know. How to record sound (how to deal with reverb, acoustic treatment of hard surfaces), how to mix it, and so on. Because your recording (as opposed to live) in your living room is relatively easy mode (not as easy as a vocal booth or pro studio, but still), on location is harder, and it's hard to find a more difficult location than the sea.
There's a lot to be learned from RUclips, although as always you have to triple check advice and who's giving it. The channel of Curtis Judd is always a nice starting point for video lighting, and sounds. And of course online courses, podcasts, and the like.
TL,DR: if you want to learn more about videomaking and video science communication, sound is king. Yes it's fun to learn about dramatic complex 4 points lighting, and LUT and color grading and how to move the camera and blocking and so on. With bad, or just "meh" average sound, it won't mean much 🤒
Just my 2 cents. And good luck in your endeavors!
As a fellow scientist, gamer, and PhD student - I love what you do! It's so awesome to see members of the science community working through social media to increase science literacy! Keep on educating!
So true Maria, we as scientists really need to step out of our bubbles! A lot of science institutions are starting to do this by funding research that will have a higher and measurable societal impact, but the change is very slow!
Honestly, the ocean scares the living daylights out of me. My friend got me into Subnautica and even introduced me to your channel later on which intrigued me on the subject of marine biology. Despite my fear of the ocean, I find it so fascinating.
I don’t plan on exploring an education into marine biology but I do love learning anything scientific about our world. Your passion for Marine Biology attracts those who love to learn!
I learned about your channel only today, after searching for Subnautica base building videos. Glad I found it. I'm interested in marine biology as well, so I might check out your non-Subnautica content, too.
Greetings from Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, where the North Sea and wadden sea ecosystem aren't far, but unfortunately too murky near the coast.
Social media is definetly the new medium for science communication. As you say, there are too few who can effectively talk to the community and enlighten them on the science fields. Thank you for your work.
1. Your passion for science is amazing to see
2. Thank YOU for being on RUclips!
3. I can hardly wait for you to play Below Zero. I think you're gonna love it
I'm not here because of Subnautica, I love it and it's been a great series (really excited for Below Zero), but there are many people playing Subnautica.... I'm here because of YOU! You playing Subnautica, you talking about the ocean, you talking about marine biology, you talking about things you love.... I'm here because of Maria :) And I'm sure I'm not the only one
Hi Maria,
I follow you because you remind me of a beautiful Mermaid. I love you.
I wanted to be a Marine Biologist but I am a Film maker. I write scripts, music all this with 2 Broken legs.
I have Documentary to make and I'm creating some truly exciting things for a well known Space Simulator.
I actually could easily spend time with you and just listen...
Below Zero, I've already started.
Maria, You are my dream and I really do wish I could have the Fairy tale ending with you but watching you via your video's will have to be suffice, it is better than not spending time with you at all.
Good Luck, stay safe and Please know, You Matter.
Like the Prometheus who gave the fire and light to the mortal people, our dear Maria is giving away a light of marine biology science to us, regular people... amazing and I am very thankful to you for that! No matter what you will do in the future, just please don't stop!
hm good luck on your future, of course its going to be hard, but we belive in u.
youtube its a good plataform to share cientific knoledge and im happy u are doing that too (sorry for the bad english... next time i will say it in brazilian portuguese)
Obriagada! =) Thanks very much for your support !
After all that's what it's all about isn't it? In the end, what matters is that you are always authentic.
Aww, thank you so much!
First of all, you still look 18, congrats! I personally love your voice, accent and your personality. You make science interesting and I’m sure you will inspire a lot of people to enjoy learning about science. I’ll follow where you go with anticipation! 🤗🥰
I want to be a marine biologist too, I know it will be hard for me, but I am willing to commit and help my country to preserve Red Sea life, well that’s my country’s aim for 2030
I’m an ex-academic, no longer working in my field of study-conservation/wildlife. But it is still a huge part of my life and informs who I am every day.
I fully support what you are doing. So honest, badass, and brave.
You are great, you are needed. Thank you for the inspiration.
I'm half fluent in English, and when I saw your subnautica video I was amazed at the clarity of your pronunciation and the simplicity of your comments. I could follow you perfertly. Except when you get so excited that you talk super fast.
I think you have a gift for communication and it would be great if you take advantage of it. I think the mixture of the video game and your comments about marine life is very good, it is a very beautiful way to connect those two different worlds.
Other suggestions for videos:
* Take a trip with some marine exploration and comment what they research (here are sponsors that will help you)
* Make interview videos with scientists who want to get out of the loop, especially to explain the importance of climate change and the conservation of life in the oceans.
* Make interview videos to Subnautica Players that teach what it's like to navigate the ocean of the game. Is it possible to play multiplayer, that's very fun also.
* Seek collaboration for editing and improving the quality of your videos.
And above all, what everyone here tells you: keep beeing yourself.
This is such an insightful video! I just started university and am planning on continuing to study marine biology. You’re channel has helped me understand more about what i want to do with my life! I also love your subnautica series and can’t wait to see more!
Thank you! I'm really happy to be able to help
As a fellow marine biologist (just a masters here, not a PhD, plz no judge), I really resonate with this message. I'm an Australian, and while you might think that living in one of the best countries in the world for a wonderful marine environment would make getting your foot in the door in the industry easy, that's what I thought too. And so did my massive cohort of equally talented people. When we were still in school, we were fed this vision of the future where getting a degree was the best path to success, but with the current state of the world unfortunately science is just not well funded enough for every graduating scientist to get a job in their field. Eventually it was clear that a degree wasn't enough, you needed a postgrad of some kind. And now even that doesn't seem enough, with too few jobs for too many budding young scientists. It's pretty disheartening, even without the knowledge that our government has clearly not prioritised something as important as the ocean our country is literally surrounded by and known for.
Science communication is probably the way forward for a lot of us; if we don't get the opportunity to save the ocean ourselves, then its up to us to make sure that others are motivated to do it!
Came for Subnautica.
Stayed for Scientist.
You're a legend, Maria
I came for the science AND the game; stayed for the game (wasn’t much science in the vids). But there are other vids by her for the science.
Science communicators are much needed in this world. Thank you for using your platform to make science approachable to people that may not have a solid STEM background.
I came for the Subnautica, stayed for the wonderful person :) God bless you for your insights!
As a former scientist (I used to work in the private sector before I became disillusioned with corporate politics) now becoming a science teacher, I love the fact that there are other people out there using their scientific knowledge out there to spread awareness and enthusiasm towards science - especially biology which was my field of study as well. I used to work as a biologist who analysed water samples by identifying algal taxa present and it was extremely hard finding people to talk to about it. Keep doing what you're doing Maria. If anyone wants to hear some of my stories as a scientist I can share them too. Now I am close to being a science teacher and I aim to carry my enthusiasm of science into the classroom. Also, I referenced you as a science communicator in one of my teaching courses as a person who strived to make science more accessible to everyone.
While playing games for youtube may not have been part of what you imagined for your future after you finished your PhD, you are contributing massively to the current generation. You are having fun and showing your passion and love of the ocean and its creatures, even in fictional worlds. You talk about the differences and similarities, but also about what makes it so fascinating even to those who already know a lot about it. In the modern day, playing games is getting more involved in teaching people about various topics, but it helps massively that there are people like you who want to teach us, the viewers, about the ocean and creatures to show the beauty, the mystery and the incredible ecosystems living beneath our oceans in a way that photos and videos can't do, that is certainly a big contribution to your science in my opinion.
I came for the Subnautica, but I will definitely stay for the science content to come! As an engineer, doing "science" directly for product development, it was really fascinating to hear your explanation of how science in academia works. I think we (the human race in 2021) have a HUGE problem, where people don't understand how science works in industry, or academia. They think all scientists are peons of "the man", developing "poisons", and "hiding the truth". Nonsense like that spreads like wildfire, because most people don't personally know any academic scientists who can set them straight. Anyway, rant over, thank you for your content, and thank you for explaining academic science so eloquently!
Came for subnautica, stayed for Maria! 🖤
Science communication is a noble endeavor Maria ! Science is mistreated and misappropriated so often, and is even viewed with suspicion in some parts of the world. People who promote a better understanding of scientific knowledge are sorely needed.
And on a personal note, I've always been fascinated by the sea and marine ecosystems, I'm really enthusiastic at the idea of being able to watch a science communicator specialized on those subjects ! I'd love to learn more about what research and conservation projects are being worked on right now !
I love this channel as much change has happened since last year and Abzûl, your content is great and you’re doing fantastic keep pushing your goals
I am hungarian, and I want to be a marinebiologist or ecologist. I usually am really stressed about my future, my studies and future jobs. Your videos can calm me down, and inspire me, and I think I am not the only one with this. Thank you!
You have touched a ton of people's hearts in your vids , be it entertainment or scientific facts included into your material.
We all love your way of introducing us to some facts, while being in a virtual medium.
You have saved the Emperor Leviathan's bloodline and a whole planet of a biological armageddon, by simply restoring the ecological balance. )))
Thank you for being so optimistic and inquisitive with everything you do. )))
Well.... science communication, working on the water, diving daily and living marine biology.... happens to be what we do and what i offered you to join in ;-)
I have a spare guest room in my home here on the Big Island of Hawaii. If you ever need a place to start a base for your quest for knowledge in this corner in the pacific, you're more then welcome here. I've studied Paleontology and Astronomy all my life while working with computers and photography and think the highest persuit in life is one in science. Aloha Aina
I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s incredible to see your like to dislike ratio. I think you’re a great communicator, Maria and I’m pretty sure your community agrees! Thank you for sharing these parts of your journey with us!
In truth- I came here for Subnautica but I've stayed for the knowledge. Thanks for sharing all you do! :)
I want more videos like the Cephlopod vid you did! Do crustaceans next
I have a suggestion! Pairing Virtual Reality like VRChat or the other games that allow someone to make "Worlds" with real life marine biology info. In other words, being able to showcase info for people to explore in an interactive environment in some neat way, that would marry the science and things getting random non-scientists engaged in learning about it~!
Hi Maria! I'm one of those people who came here because of the subnautica stuff, but grew fond of you and your projects. Also, as a native Brazilian I was surprised when I saw your podcasts in portuguese.
Me, just like you, have started my career because of my wish to adquire knowledge and help the world, for a better future, as I'm currently studying Biology as a bachelor, and my passion and hobbie is botanic. I hope to stay here and learn your view from your science "bubble", from the more aquatic base of biology as, as different as we are, we are also similar.
I think many great and innovative endeavors start out with "I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work". Looking forward to what we see from you in the future Maria.
Science communication! that's the term ! So happy that there's gonna be a marine biologist based scientific channel I can follow now
I for one am excited to be here at the birth of the worlds best marine science communicators of the future.
Ah, careers in this field is always challenging! We always have to adapt to whatever comes our way and what's the state of the world/country/state is in currently. In ways, that's the beauty of this field or any natural science field for that matter.
Keep going, you are doing great!
Dory: Just keep swimming, swimming,.......
I think your four heroes would be impressed with you and very proud of the way you think and communicate.
I'm not really somebody who would get excited from meeting 'famous' people but if Sir David Attenborough walked into the room I would fanboy to the point of embarrassment.
I love that guy.
Wish I had money so I could basically pay Maria to come over to Colombia and make a ton of videos on the huge marine diversity of our two connected oceans (Which is, surprisingly, poorly covered in mass media here). Loving your channel Maria, keep up the great work!
I can tell for sure that I've learned more up-to-date science here in RUclips than in any other source. I'm still learning a lot. What was the problem before this? Accessibility. Other media only care for inmediate revenue, be it in the form of sales of newspaper, magazine, public tv (ratings, advertisement) and so forth. Once a person, like me, enter the work force, there's little time and money to spend in those products. Sometimes, the information may to too complex, but still people need to have access. Thanks a lot to all the science and craftmanship communicators, tutorial creators as well, in RUclips and other similar platforms.
Long story short: you continue to do awesome stuff to make the world better, I will be around.
Thanks for your explanation.
Hey Maria, another way to "open" the loop is to increase inter-disciplinary projects. Unfortunately, most inter-disciplinary projects are headed by entrepreneurs who are profit driven.
So what can you do as a science communicator? You can do "deep-dive" videos that explain:
1. Beautiful things about the ocean (which you do a great job of, already)
2. Issues to threatened ecosystems/species
3. Introduce us to people who are directly involved in these things
The aim being to not just raise awareness, but to also let people know what they can do to help and/or people to contact, what solutions have been employed, generate ideas and discussion. It's important that you show what non-scientists can do, otherwise you are telling your viewers to join academia and the circle repeats.
God, NO!
Don't think about it like that.
Yes, I've noticed this channel solely because I'm fond of Subnautica and your videos popped up in recommendations not so long ago.
But! I've watched a lot of non-gaming videos on your channel by now and plan to watch all the remaining ones because it's so interesting and somewhat new(!) to watch the real scientific stuff in the open media. You know, like a direct communication. ^^
So, whatever you will be filming and putting further on your channel - I'm eager to watch and learn from those, because you are telling about interesting things with right emotion and wording, and you are young, beautiful, interesting and nice person to listen to and to learn from (try to deny that haha XD).
Be like your heroes, be better then them - you are having your life road right ahead of you rn! ^^
Somewhat paradoxically, despite having watched all your subnautica videos, this video is what motivated me to subscribe. I really enjoyed your octopus video and look forward to more educational vids in the future.
6:04 and yes I watch your videos unrelated to Subnautica that come out and even watched your older videos on occasion but do know that it _was_ Subnautica and you playing it that got me here. Don't underestimate that effect.
that's interesting about the scientific loop you mentioned. i was watching a joe rogan podcast where he had a scientist on, and he said a similar thing, where you're in a bubble and sometimes even discouraged from communicating ideas to people outside the science community. what you're doing is great! you're beautiful, smart, and have interesting viewpoints. i personally like your movie reactions the most
I remember as a child watching the Cousteau explorations TV show. I liked it, it felt like a live and oceanic version of Star Trek.
Came for the Subnautica, stayed for the Maria!
I love your game play AND your excitement for sharing info about the world's oceans! As of Feb 2021, More than eighty percent of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. So it's awesome seeing you share the info! Keep being great!
I started watching you because of Subnautica, but only because you were a marine biologist. I was intrigued by the added dynamic. Now I watch all the videos you produce, and I'm enjoying your production elements and content. Your accent also helps!
I'm an IT manager for a medium sized school district in the US, and I understand the need for translating technical language into something that is more commonly comprehensible, and doing so in a manner that is engaging for the audience. I think it is an excellent and important path for you to take, and I wish you all the best in your endeavors.
Thank you for all you do!
I came for Subnautica and stayed for the Sea.
Your my hero, Maria. Like others, I watched the Subnautica, but I already had some interest in ocean science. AND THEN YOUR comments and teachings WHILE you played Subnautica hooked me. It was like going into a lab where you showed us living examples of the Ocean science principles of coral and stuff. It was great. Living illustrations and living examples of the life and ecosystem. Thank you Maria. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE UP. And BTW, you already know this, but you are gorgeous. NOBODY....nobody has eyes like that. You belong on TV or film documentaries. You should be their spokeswoman. YOu need a job as a woman film documentary presenter.
you deserve over a million subs, I hope your channel grows (both your career aspect and gaming aspect) for years to come!
You should start a crowdfunding for better filming and gaming appliances! Many of us would be willing to donate
Hi Maria! Thank you so much for what you do with this channel.
I started watching your videos for the Subnautica content, but I chose your videos because of your unique viewpoint as a marine biologist. I can watch just anybody play the game for the first time, but I was always curious as to how much the developers tried to incorporate reality or semblances to reality into the game, and the facts you add in your videos definitely help to understand these things.
What you are doing with your knowledge is incredibly important and appreciated! As a kid, I gained more scientific information that I have retained into adulthood through entertaining scientific content, such as The magic school bus (a US based public television cartoon about science). What you do provides context to marine concerns, and makes it relateable. Keep up the good work, we are all learning from your hard work!
@Maria - Your enthusiasm is fantastic, not only regarding marine science but also in spreading a general appreciation for the importance of science to the world in general. You have the three most important factors for success - that infectious passion for your subject, extremely strong communications skills, and a demonstrable commitment to seeking out and applying 'alternative' methods to achieve your goals (e.g,, RUclips).
There are many brilliant and talented people in academia but too many lack the personal application necessary for real success, let alone the ability to think laterally. Keep up the good work. ;)
You seem like good people. Keep being awesome.
Mad respect for trying to bridge that gap. As a non-scientist, I value knowledge itself. I live in a country where too many decisions are made while either ignoring science or outright denying/vilifying it. Loving your subnautica vids too!
I'm a drone pilot, and seriously, if you find yourself getting out to the ocean to make content and would like a drone operator there to grab aerial footage for that content, please please please reach out to me. If I can feasibly get to that destination, I will. Love the water. Love the animals.
I was changing my YT habit in awhile now and sort of purging popular but problematic YTers out of my timeline (drama channels, makeup gurus (except genuinely funny and good makeup YTers e.g. Robert Welsh), and others. I’m really glad I found you because of Subnautica and now I’m also staying for the marine biology knowledge. Thank you for sharing your knowledge as well as conservation efforts. Please continue to bridge the gap between us and the science.
I think as a science populariser about marine biology, your channel is very interesting, and as a gamer, I can say I saw the entire subnautica series and I've really enjoyed it because your naturality and your special knowledgments so for my part, congratulations and keep up the good work.
One step closer for you to be the hero you admire Maria! Much blessing and good luck!
Maria~~~ I actually came here from your Megaladon reaction video! I loved learning about the scientific accuracy about these films. I really love you and all that you do! Goodluck with everything~~~ I'm sticking with you for the rest of it!
Learning science through gaming is the best way to learn.
Like a lot of people I also found your channel through Subnautica, but I also really love the ocean and find it it incredibly fascinating. I've really enjoyed both your reactions in Subnautica and learning about our oceans. Thank you for what you do and can't wait to see you play Below Zero!
Omg I was nervous when I saw the notification, I thought you were gonna quit RUclips or something.
No worries. I will be here for a while :)