'Dark oxygen' mission takes aim at other worldshttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq6gg5mnn8eoScientists who recently discovered that metal lumps on the dark seabed make oxygen, have announced plans to study the deepest parts of Earth's oceans in order to understand the strange phenomenon.
Their mission could "change the way we look at the possibility of life on other planets too," the researchers say.
The initial discovery confounded marine scientists. It was previously accepted that oxygen could only be produced in sunlight by plants - in a process called photosynthesis.
If oxygen - a vital component of life - is made in the dark by metal lumps, the researchers believe that process could be happening on other planets, creating oxygen-rich environments where life could thrive.
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This might seem a niche, technical argument, but several multi-billion pound mining companies are already exploring the possibility of harvesting tonnes of these metals from the seafloor.
The natural deposits they are targeting contain metals vital for making batteries, and demand for those metals is increasing rapidly as many economies move from fossil fuels to, for example, electric vehicles.
The race to extract those resources has caused concern among environmental groups and researchers. More than 900 marine scientists from 44 countries have signed a petition highlighting the environmental risks and calling for a pause on mining activity.
Talking about his team's latest research mission at a press conference on Friday, Prof Sweetman said: "Before we do anything, we need to - as best as possible - understand the [deep sea] ecosystem.
"I think the right decision is to hold off before we decide if this is the right thing to do as a a global society."
Evidence of dark oxygen production at the abyssal seafloor | Nature Geosciencehttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01480-8