Oxygen, the molecule that supports intelligent life as we know it, is produced primarily by plants. Whether underwater or on land, they do this by photosynthesizing carbon dioxide. However, a recent study shows that oxygen can be produced without the need for life at depths where light cannot reach.

Authors of a recent publication Natural Geology He collected samples of deep-sea ocean sediments to determine the rate of oxygen consumption on the seafloor by things like sediments or organisms that can react with oxygen.

However, in many of their experiments, they found that the amount of oxygen did not decrease as they expected, but increased. This caused them to question how this oxygen was produced.

They found that this “dark” oxygen production on the seafloor only occurs in the presence of mineral concentrates called polymetallic nodules and metal deposits called metal-bearing sediments.

The authors believe the nodules have the right mix of metals and are packed tightly enough to allow an electric current to pass through them for electrolysis, producing enough energy to separate hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) from water (H₂O).

The authors also suggested that the amount of oxygen produced may vary depending on the number and mixture of nodules on the ocean floor. This research group sought to understand the consequences of mining company-sponsored mining of deep-sea metals such as lithium, cobalt or copper to ensure that deep-sea mining provides a net benefit to humanity and the Earth system. .

Lithium and cobalt are used, for example, to make batteries for mobile phones, laptops and electric cars. Copper is vital for roofing and plumbing, as well as the wiring of devices such as televisions and radios.

The investigation focused on the Clarion-Clipperton Field in the Pacific Ocean, a vast plain between Hawaii and Mexico where millions of tons of this metal lie. But scientists believe mining on this scale is potentially unpredictable and could destroy habitats vital to ocean ecosystems. Deep-sea mining could also add damaging rainfall to fragile ecosystems, prompting more countries to call for moratoriums.

Dark oxygen for life

The implications of this finding may also play a role in the lives of other countries. Oxygen is essential for complex life as we know it. Complex life evolved and expanded with photosynthesizers, which actually produced oxygen as waste. But this oxygen allows the metabolism of organisms to be much more efficient than without it.

Without photosynthetic bacteria, the dependence of life on Earth on oxygen, in addition to the evolutionary path to biodiversity as we know it, may never have occurred. But this study shows that rich nodules on the seafloor may have provided an additional source of oxygen for the biosphere, the zone of life that encompasses all living organisms on Earth.

Until we better understand how they formed in the depths of time, we will not be able to understand how these nodules may have influenced evolution. At this point, all we really know is that we, these nodules, will need oxygen to form. Studies like this show how mysterious the origin of life on Earth remains.