We are surrounded by more than fifty thousand types of chemicals in our daily lives, most of which we use without being aware of their possibly toxic nature. The threat by one of these, the flame retardant PBDE, to man and marine life is a serious problem and needs to be addressed not only within the advanced nations but on a global scale.

Last July, the University of Tokyo launched the UT Ocean Alliance, a university-wide organization for comprehensive ocean education and research. This April, it is newly establishing the Integrated Ocean Research and Education Program funded by the Nippon Foundation. This article introduces this program that seeks to promote an unprecedented trans-disciplinary network for ocean research and education.

The Coelacanth is the most well known example of a "living fossil."Resembling in structure a four-limbed amphibian more than a fish, it has maintained that unique basic structure since the Devon Paleozoic era, some three hundred eighty million years ago. There is a need for thorough research to solve the many remaining riddles concerning its ecology and evolution.