Google has Google Earth, Google Maps, Google Moon, and even Google Mars. So what could possibly be next? How about Google Ocean, a 3D model of the planet under water.

The tool--for now called Google Ocean, the sources say, though that name could change--is expected to be similar to other 3D online mapping applications. People will be able to see the underwater topography, called bathymetry; search for particular spots or attractions; and navigate through the digital environment by zooming and panning.

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"There is no real terrain or depth model for the ocean in Google Earth," said Tim Haverland, a geospatial application developer at the Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "You can't get in a submarine and in essence fly through the water and explore ocean canyons yet."

Google Ocean will feature a basic layer that shows the depth of the sea floor and will serve as a spatial framework for additional data, sources said, adding that Google plans to try to fill in some areas of the map with high-resolution images for more detail.

Additional data will be displayed as overlying layers that depict phenomena like weather patterns, currents, temperatures, shipwrecks, coral reefs, and algae blooms, much like the National Park Service and NASA provide additional data for Google Earth and Google Sky.

Blue Water Fishermen's Association claims people shouldn't worry about mercury contamination in seafood

The Blue Water Fishermen's Association has issued a press release stating that it's perfectly fine if sushi and other seafood contains high levels of mercury. Yes, that's what they're saying. Tuna, salmon, shellfish, and just about every other edible marine animal that isn't farm-raised can contain high levels of mercury in them, but the fishermen are telling you not to worry about it.

Over the last several years it's been established that the trace element selenium, found in all marine fish, prevents and reverses adverse effects of mercury exposure. According to Nick Ralston, University of North Dakota expert on selenium/mercury interactions, the extremely high binding affinity between selenium and mercury is a fundamental feature of selenium's protective effect against mercury.

Here's the problem, fish accumulate mercury in their bodies just like humans do. Oceana recently conducted a study (pdf) that found tuna and swordfish from around the country had higher levels of mercury than the FDA's own data suggests.

So we've got higher levels of mercury than the FDA tells us, and this group of fishermen, who understandably want to protect their livelihoods, is telling us that because fish contain trace amounts of selenium, we shouldn't worry about it, that it's safe to eat. Unless those trace amounts of selenium can bind to large amounts of mercury, the math doesn't add up.