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Biologists now think that that tiny creatures–from worms to insects–are much more important to the health of our planet than they seem to be. In fact, the fate of all life (including us!) may depend on them.

In the November 10th edition of the Observer, John Vidal quotes entomologist E.O. Wilson (who studies ants) as saying, "When you thrust a shovel into the soil or tear off a piece of coral, you are, godlike, cutting through an entire world. You have crossed a hidden frontier known to very few. Immediately close at hand, around and beneath our feet, lies the least explored part of the planet’s surface. It is also the most vital place on Earth for human existence.
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Fish caught in the waters around the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan could be too radioactive to eat for a decade, as samples show that radioactivity levels in that part of the ocean remain elevated and show little sign of coming down.

Cod, flounder, halibut, pollock, skate and sole could be off limits for years, since large and bottom-dwelling species carry most risk. Sample fish caught in waters near the melted reactors show that there is still a source of caesium leaking into the ocean, either on the seafloor or still being discharged into the sea, perhaps from what is left of the cooling waters.
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Drones are all around us, in the sky (and now) in the water too. The next time you go fishing, you may pull out a robot, because the Department of Homeland is developing an unmanned underwater vehicle that looks like a tuna fish. In the past, the joke was that a fisherman might pull up a boot–now he’s more likely to reel in a robot.

Smaller or larger versions of fish robots could swim effortlessly through the oceans as they run US military reconnaissance missions or conduct scientific surveys.
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In the future, the wide variety of fish available in our grocery stores and fish markets may be only a memory. Commercial fishers are netting huge numbers of fish, while dams such as the Hoover, built along the Colorado River, have stopped freshwater from flowing into fish breeding grounds.

Salmon are not only losing their breeding grounds, copper particles in the ocean are affecting their sense of smell, leading to behavior changes such as not swimming upstream to spawn. These minute amounts of copper come from brake linings and mining operations that have been discarded in the ocean.
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