Can polymetallic nodules produce oxygen without photosynthesis? - Photo: Handout/National Oceanography Centre/ Smartex project (NERC)/AFP
The findings overturn long-held theories about the origin of life on Earth. However, the study has sparked heated debate. At least five peer-reviewed papers have been submitted to scientific journals to verify the findings.
Scientists divided over shocking discovery
The conventional scientific view has long held that life emerged about 2.7 billion years ago, when organisms began producing oxygen through photosynthesis — a process that requires sunlight.
However, new research suggests that polymetallic nodules in the ocean could generate enough electricity to split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen, a process known as electrolysis. In other words, without the presence of sunlight, metal nodules in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean could produce oxygen.
Some scientists agree with the view, but others dispute the claim that "black oxygen" is created in the dark, lightless seafloor.
The discovery was made in the Clarion-Clipperton region, a vast underwater area in the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii that is attracting increasing interest from mining companies.
Here, scattered on the seafloor 4km below the surface, polymetallic nodules contain manganese, nickel and cobalt – metals used in electric vehicle batteries and other low-carbon technologies.
The research that led to the discovery of "black oxygen" was partly funded by a Canadian deep-sea mining company, The Metals Company, to assess the ecological impact of such exploration activities.
The company has sharply criticised marine ecologist Andrew Sweetman, the study's lead author, saying the research suffered from "methodological flaws".
Fragile ecosystem
In response to the criticism, Sweetman said he was preparing a formal response. He said that in science, debates about right and wrong are normal. He also acknowledged that more research is needed to verify the findings.
The deep-sea discoveries have raised questions about the origins of life on Earth, according to the Scottish Association for Marine Science. The findings also have important implications for mining companies looking to extract the precious metals contained in these polymetallic nodules.
The existence of “black oxygen” shows how little we know about life in the extreme depths of the ocean, environmentalists say, and bolsters their argument that deep-sea mining poses unacceptable ecological risks.
“Greenpeace has long campaigned to stop seabed mining in the Pacific Ocean because of the damage it can cause to fragile deep-sea ecosystems,” the environmental group said. “The astonishing discovery underscores the urgency of that call.”
Meanwhile, Michael Clarke, environmental manager at The Metals Company, told AFP that the findings "can be more reasonably explained by poor scientific technique and poor research, rather than a previously unobserved phenomenon".
Many in the scientific community have also expressed skepticism or rejected Sweetman's conclusions.
“He did not present clear evidence for his observations and hypotheses,” said biogeochemist Matthias Haeckel at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany. “Many questions remain unanswered after the publication. So now the scientific community needs to conduct similar experiments and either prove or disprove it.”
Geochemist Olivier Rouxel at Ifremer, France's national institute for ocean science and technology, told AFP that there is currently "no consensus on these results".
“Sample collection at the bottom of the sea is always a challenge,” he said, adding that it was possible that the oxygen detected was “air bubbles trapped” in the measuring equipment.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/kham-pha-chan-dong-ve-oxy-gay-chia-re-gioi-khoa-hoc-20250317172458106.htm
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