Right now,
only 15% of life on Earth
lives in oceans.
Today,
we’re gonna crank that up a notch.
You,
as well as all life on Earth,
are moving underwater.
Pack your bags, because today,
we’re moving every living species on Earth
underwater.
But before we do,
let’s see what we’re working with.
It’s estimated that 80% of Earth’s species
live on land,
15% in the ocean,
and the remaining 5%
in freshwater.
This is going to be a big move.
And in order to pull this off,
we’re going to have to adapt.
And fast.
For the sake of this video,
humans, and animals
are all going to make the evolutionary jump
and adapt to breathing underwater.
Your new gills really bring out your eyes.
Gills,
like the ones currently growing from your neck,
are a respiration system
that uses a network of blood vessels.
They draw in oxygen from flowing water,
and diffuse it through gill membranes.
This would allow you
to take in the splendors
of your new underwater home.
And, you know,
not drown.
So, now that your mutated family
and pets have made the descent,
what’s life going to be like
down here, anyway?
Well, you may have to get over
your fear of the dark.
Both humans and animals
would need to develop ways to battle darkness.
I’m talking about developing
a better sense of touch,
and the ability to sense vibrations.
Other ocean newbies may evolve
to create their own light,
like the lanternfish,
in order to attract mates or prey.
Imagine your cat
chasing its own light.
Awww.
It’s also going to feel a lot colder.
The cold environment
is going to push you into adapting
your membranes to keep them liquid.
If you don't,
your fat will solidify.
But we know you can handle this,
so you'll have unsaturated fats
in your membranes,
so that they can remain liquid.
And hey, does anyone else have a headache?
This is an educated guess,
but I’m thinking the eight tons
of added pressure per square inch
may be the culprit.
On the plus side,
you’re also going to have a lot more room.
The Pacific Ocean alone covers
165.25 million km² (63.8 million mi²)
That’s larger than all the land on Earth,
which measures in at
148.94 million km² (57.5 million mi²).
Talk about an upgrade in real estate.
So, provided that you
and your animal friends
get the evolutionary upgrades,
you should be okay.
But plants and bugs
got the shaft on this one.
Plants would need to rely solely on wind
for pollination.
This would make it extremely difficult
for plant life to be successful underwater.
Bugs like ants and worms
would bite the dust,
and that’s a problem for our soil.
This is because worms help nourish the soil,
and ants help to aerate it.
This is actually super important.
Earthworms make nutrients
more available to plants,
since they feed on plant debris.
When they die,
the nutrients are available
for the plants to absorb.
Without this process,
the whole ecosystem will fall out of whack.
And that brings us to a bigger point.
Everything on Earth is connected in some way,
with everyone playing an important role
in the ecosystem of the planet.
If we change the very fabric
of how our world is structured,
it would change almost everything about it,
from the plant life
to the gas contents of the atmosphere.
If we packed up shop
and moved all life to the oceans
we would have much more space.
The downside is,
life is going to be a lot less diverse
thanks to the constraints of water
and lack of sunlight.
So before we make any major moving plans,
what if we give it a test run
and build a home away from home?
What if we lived in cities underwater?
Well, that’s a story for another WHAT IF.