Unexpected results were achieved in terms of ocean biogeochemistry, regarding links between fish and the iron cycle: first, that fish struggle to survive in large parts of the high seas due to insufficient dietary iron, and second, that the feces of fish are uniformly enriched in iron relative to their food, and therefore provide a relatively iron-rich food source. The low iron supply has been well known for its relevance to phytoplankton and photosynthesis, but never previously linked to animal ecology. This work has major implications for marine ecology and food security. We have also produced a novel global fishery model with interactive, dynamic management, which is a world first, and used it to provide the first-ever assessment of global fishery dynamics following an abrupt climate shock. We were the first to show the existence of very high subjective well-being in a non-monetized society and, as an unexpected spin-off, a new conceptual advance allowed the quantitative projection of future life satisfaction for all humans to the year 2050. Most importantly, our results significantly advanced the conceptual frontier of integration between humans and the non-human environment, setting the stage for a future generation of novel quantitative approaches which will go under the name Earth System Economics.