Cod have been caught off Nova Scotia for centuries, but their systematic slaughter began only after 1852; in terms of their biomass (the aggregate mass of the species), they are now 96% depleted.

Sorcerer II, Venter's 95-foot sailboat, leaves Halifax, Nova Scotia, on a two-year circum-navigation of the globe in search of new microbial species for DNA sequencing.

Radiation from a nearby nova is believed to have sparked rampant mutation among the animal life of Kintan, and has resulted in the Nikto species encompassing a number of distinct sub-races.