Polymetallic nodules loaded with metals ... cause this deep-sea oxygen generation, overturning previous assumptions about oxygen sources. Implications of Dark Oxygen for the Origins of Life ...

A new study published in Nature Geoscience in July 2024 suggests it’s unclear what causes dark oxygen, but a possible source ... a deep-sea mining company that partly funded Sweetman’s research and ...

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have identified a phenomenon they're calling "dark oxygen" — oxygen ... now have evidence that these deep-sea nodules may act like “geobatteries ...

The ocean's deep-sea bed is scattered with ancient rocks, each about the size of a closed fist, called "polymetallic nodules.

Oxygen seeps ... harm these deep-sea ecosystems before their value and workings are fully understood. Seafloor mining could target three kinds of metal-rich deposits: nodules, crusts and mounds.

Historically, scientists thought that most oxygen came from photosynthesis, where plants and microorganisms convert sunlight into energy. However, the new findings show that the deep-sea nodules ...