A groundbreaking discovery in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean reveals that polymetallic nodul

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A groundbreaking discovery in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean reveals that polymetallic nodules—metal-rich rocks typically composed of manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt—can generate oxygen through electrochemical reactions in complete darkness. 🌊⚡

Known as “dark oxygen” production, this process challenges the assumption that sunlight-driven photosynthesis is the only natural source of oxygen. Instead, these nodules produce tiny electric currents that split water molecules, potentially supporting deep-sea ecosystems far from the sun.

Even more remarkably, this mechanism could explain how microbial life survives in the pitch-black abyss—and may offer insights into how extraterrestrial life could exist beneath the icy crusts of moons like Europa or Enceladus. 🌌🧬

,OceanScience ,DarkOxygen ,DeepSeaDiscovery ,Astrobiology ,Electrochemistry

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