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Dark Oxygen on the Ocean Floor: Metallic Nodules Produce O2

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Author

Steve Burgess
October 13, 2024

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image created by Steve Burgess with chatGPT 4o

image created by Steve Burgess with chatGPT 4o

Dark O2

Photosynthesis no longer has a monopoly on oxygen. Metallic nodules are creating “dark oxygen” on the ocean floor.

  • Created without sunlight, 20k feet below the surface

  • Nodules: cobalt, copper, lithium, and manganese

  • Nodules + water = O2 producing voltages

This challenges our belief that aerobic life began through photosynthetic organisms. Further research will uncover our past and determine how mining these metals impacts the ecosystem. Is THIS what Darth Vader was breathing?!

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