A few months ago we knew the news of the discovery of the so -called “dark oxygen.” This oxygen form has little extraordinary from the chemical point of view: these are conventional oxygen molecules. What is not conventional in this dark oxygen is its formation process.
A new project. Now, the team that announced the discovery of dark oxygen has announced a new project linked to the presence of these mysterious molecules in the oceanic depths. The objective of this new project is to answer some of the questions raised after the finding, especially the question of whether this process was given in various areas of the oceanic fund.
“Our discovery of dark oxygen was a change in the paradigm of our understanding of the depths of the sea and potentially of life on Earth, but threw more questions than answers,” explained in a press release Andrew Sweetman, who will lead the new project.
International collaboration. The new project is the result of the cooperation of two intitions, the Japanese Nippon Foundation, in charge of financing the project with a contribution of two million pounds; and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (Sams), an institution that will lead the investigation.
Dark oxygen. Let’s recap, dark oxygen? This concept was popularized last year to refer to molecular oxygen found in the depths of the oceanfar from the sun’s rays, hence the “dark” appellation. Until now, the dominant hypothesis is that oxygen is only formed on our planet through photosynthesis, a phenomenon dependent on the energy emitted by our star.
The presence of oxygen in a place where photosynthesis is impossible and separate from surface marine currents, opened the search for alternative hypotheses that explained the presence of these molecules in the inhospitable environment. The response of the team responsible for the finding was in the metals that can be found in the seabed, which, according to this hypothesis they would be generating these molecules through electricity, that is, thanks to electrolysis.
Verifying the hypothesis. The new project could serve to verify this theory, questioned by the mining industry, and to explore alternative hypotheses that explain the unexpected presence of oxygen in this environment. Hypothesis like that of radiolysisthat is to say the possibility that it is the radiation that, directly or indirectly, is triggering the process.
The team also wants to explore if the processes that generate this dark oxygen They also release hydrogenas well as if this element is used as a source of energy by the bacterial communities that inhabit this area of the ocean. In addition, the study could help us better understand the impact that climate change could have on these ecosystems.
Conversations with NASA. The American space agency, NASA, has also shown interest in expanding our knowledge about dark oxygen, those responsible for the project say. “We are already in conversation with NASA experts who believe that dark oxygen could rebuild our understanding of how life is sustained on other planets without direct sunlight,” Sweetman added.
Dark oxygen can also help us better understand how oxygen arose on our planet, providing us with information about the emergence of life on earth. Life and oxygen are inseparable concepts, but we do not know completely how this relationship was forged.
Image | Biocyan Campaign
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