Deep sea rocks suggest oxygen can be made without photosynthesis
Raw StoryOxygen, the molecule that supports intelligent life as we know it, is largely made by plants. They found that this “dark” oxygen production at the seafloor seems to only happen in the presence of mineral concentrates called polymetallic nodules and deposits of metals called metalliferous sediments. The authors also suggested that the amount of oxygen created may fluctuate depending on the number and mixture of nodules on the ocean floor. Without photosynthetic bacteria, the reliance that Earth’s life has on oxygen may well have never happened, in addition to the evolutionary pathway to biodiversity as we know it. But this study shows that rich-nodules on the seafloor may have provided an additional source of oxygen to the biosphere - the zone of life on Earth encompassing all living organisms.
History of this topic
Deep-sea metals may be source of oxygen for life on ocean floor
LA Times
‘Dark oxygen’ produced by metals on deep-ocean floor, study finds
The Independent
The deep sea is home to “dark oxygen”
The Economist
‘Dark oxygen’ is being produced 13,000 feet below ocean surface, ground-breaking study finds
Hindustan Times
Small fraction of microbes consume most of oxygen in ocean: Study
Hindustan TimesCan microbes produce oxygen in the dark?
The HinduDiscover Related
)
)
)
)
_40x_03.jpg)