Scientists have reported that certain rocks under the sea might be producing oxygen in total darkness.
This is exciting because it goes against everything we thought we knew about how oxygen is created.
Remember the day of school when we learned that the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell?
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We also had it engrained into our brains that photosynthesis is the process where plants, algae, and some bacteria produce oxygen from sunlight - a natural but crucial process that maintains life on Earth.
However, these deep-sea rocks seem to be doing it at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean - without any light at all.
The team of scientists explored a region called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone - a part of the deep sea that mining companies are eyeing for its rich metal deposits.
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Scattered across the ocean floor were ferromanganese nodules.
Ferromanganese nodules are potato-sized rocks packed with manganese, iron and other metals that have been forming for millions of years.
According to Earth.com, these nodules are like 'underwater onions with each layer adding more minerals and creating these cool, rounded shapes.'
Researchers suggest that the nodules might be creating tiny electric charges that spark electrolysis, generating oxygen and hydrogen.
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Andrew Sweetman, a professor at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, is working on a study to find more answers.
The three-year will investigate how exactly these nodules might form oxygen in the absence of light. One of his goals is to determine whether this phenomenon occurs in other areas of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.
“Our discovery of dark oxygen was a paradigm shift in our understanding of the deep sea and potentially life on Earth, but it threw up more questions than answers,” said Prof Sweetman.
He and his team are also looking into whether microbes in the seafloor might be playing a role in releasing hydrogen, which could serve as an energy source for deep-sea life.
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Oddly enough, this isn't the only case of 'dark oxygen' as scientists have found the chemical element appearing in other dark places, too.
In Canada, microbiologist Emil Ruff discovered oxygen trapped in groundwater that had been sealed off for tens of thousands of years - yet there was still oxygen to support life.
Ruff said: “After 40,000 years or 30,000 years (separated from surface processes), there’s no reason really to think that there should be any oxygen left."
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He found that special bacteria could produce oxygen on their own by breaking down certain dissolved compounds.
Furthermore, NASA hopes findings like these could hint at life beyond Earth.
Icy moons like Jupiter's Europa and Saturn's Enceladus have dark oceans beneath their frozen surfaces - making them prime targets for this research.
The space agency wants to test whether the high pressures on these moons could trigger the same oxygen-making process in deep-sea rocks. If it works, that could mean these oceans might be capable of supporting extra-terrestrial life, Prof Sweetman explained.
Meanwhile, not all scientists agree with these findings. Some experts, especially those linked to deep-sea mining, argue that they've found no such electrical oddities in the nodules.
Other independent researchers believe more tests are needed before confirming whether this 'dark oxygen' process is real.