THE vastness of Earth's oceans and the limited extent of our knowledge and occupation of them often invites comparisons with space. But they are much more attainable than the moon or Mars. Hence the enduring fascination with "seasteading", the idea of building permanent settlements at sea (see "Brave new sea worlds to redefine society").
Those who push the idea are often dismissed as libertarian fantasists. The seasteading movement has its fair share of those, but it is also home to pioneers longing to conquer a new frontier.
We already have The World, a private residential yacht with permanent wealthy occupants cruising the globe. That hardly fulfils the vision of wagons rolling west. But it may be the start of something bigger. Shifting climate was what drove our African ancestors to colonise the world (see "Climate change determined humanity's global conquest"). As climate and population pressures ramp up, perhaps the lure of the wide blue yonder will prove irresistible.
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