Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by william . william Wonders, “Is there an underwater house/lab/hotel?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, william !

How long can you hold your breath underwater? The record is 24 minutes and 3 seconds. Most people can’t go more than a minute or two. What if people could grow gills? They could live underwater like mermaids!

Humans might never grow gills. However, they may be able to live underwater without them. Technology makes new things possible each day. People already drive in underwater tunnels. Some even live in submarines for short periods of time. How long before there are underwater houses?

What would it be like to look out a window and see fish instead of birds? That can happen in the underwater rooms of “Floating Seahorses.“ These floating homes were built off the coast of Dubai in 2016. These homes have underwater spaces that people can live in. 

How would you like to go to an underwater school? The Jules Undersea Lodge already gives students this chance. The underwater building was once used for research. Now, it hosts students and teachers as well as tourists. Students there can see fish, squids, and seahorses up close!

Some scientists believe that people will need to live underwater one day. This is because both human population and sea levels are rising.  Before people can move below the surface, though, there are some problems to solve. How will people breathe? What about food? Electricity?

Aquanaut Ian Koblick thinks people could live underwater soon. Scientists already do so for short periods of time. Returning to the surface is difficult. They have to do so slowly. Otherwise, the difference in air pressure will make them ill.  People will need to solve the issue of air pressure before they can live underwater. Then, very little will stand in the way of making underwater living spaces.

One Japanese firm has plans for “Ocean Spiral,” an underwater home that uses the sea’s natural resources. It will run on a generator powered by the temperature of deep waters. The firm plans to take salt out of seawater so people can drink it. It even plans to grow food on underwater farms. They hope the Ocean Spiral will house 5,000 people by 2030.

What if people build entire underwater cities? Will each home or building be its own floating bubble? Or will they be connected in some way? How will people get from home to school? There are so many things to work out before people live underwater!

Living underwater could also change human beings. Explorer Jacques Cousteau thought living underwater would cause people to evolve. He said humans could become a new species, Homo aquaticus. Human bodies would be bigger to limit heat loss. They would likely grow webbed fingers and toes. Eventually, people would have fused legs and larger eyes. They’d look quite a bit like mermaids!

It may be a while before people live in underwater homes. However, some hotels already offer underwater rooms! Would you like to spend a vacation underwater? Or would you rather live there long-term? There are so many places below the surface left to explore. What might you learn about mysterious sea creatures and other ocean life? 

Standards: NGSS.LS2.C, NGSS.LS4.B, NGSS.LS4.C, NGSS.LS4.D, CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.W.2, CCRA.W.3, CCRA.W.9, CCRA.L.1, CCRA.L.2, SL.1, CCRA.SL.2

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