On today’s episode of Modern Notion Daily, we’re talking about plankton! Christian Sardet wrote the upcoming book, Plankton: Wonders of the Drifting World (University of Chicago Press, June 2015), which took him around the globe to scour the seas for the many species of plankton. Later in the show, staff writer Josh Hrala joins us to talk about sea monsters, megamouth sharks, and mermaids . . . or are they manatees?

Music this hour:

• “Soldiertype (militarised)” by Ketsa, from the album What’s Without’s Within
• “Elle va au Japon” by Nic Bommarito, from the album A Quiet Age
• “Drifting” by Pearl Jam
• “Il Pleut des Informations (ou Mass Media en Masse à Partir de Notre Cumulonimus Fiable)” by Monroeville Music Center, from the album Le Progrés