Scientists published a study Monday that claims to have found groundbreaking evidence for the production of “dark oxygen.”
Prof. Andrew Sweetman led the seafloor ecology and biogeochemistry research group at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) behind the study. The researchers said they found deep-sea oxygen production (or “dark oxygen”) by metallic nodules in the Pacific Ocean where no natural light could reach, a SAMS statement reads. (RELATED: Ancient Crystals Reveal 4-Billion-Year-Old Secret Of Life)
“For aerobic life to begin on the planet, there had to be oxygen and our understanding has been that Earth’s oxygen supply began with photosynthetic organisms. But we now know that there is oxygen produced in the deep sea, where there is no light. I think we therefore need to revisit questions like: Where could aerobic life have begun?” Sweetman said.
