In 1942, Athelstan Spilhaus—a scientist and inventor at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution—had a bold idea: What if we drew our world map with the ocean at its center? After all, Earth is an ocean world, despite its misleading name. Spilhaus believed our world maps would be more accurate—and more honest—if they weren’t based on a worldview centered around the city of London, home to many English cartographers whose depictions of Earth still influence global charts today. The ocean connects us all. It defines our planet and makes life possible through its unique and extraordinary nature. It’s what belongs at the center of our world, not London or any other city, for that matter.

Learn more about how expanding our view of the ocean can unlock new possibilities for life in The Ocean (Re)Imagined from Oceanus magazine.