Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

In an extraordinary breakthrough, scientists have recently uncovered a phenomenon that might reshape our understanding of life on <keyword id="19912640" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="earth" source="keywords">Earth</keyword> — and beyond. Dubbed "<keyword id="22522490" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dark-oxygen" source="keywords">dark oxygen</keyword>," this newly discovered form of <keyword id="20075793" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="oxygen" source="keywords">oxygen</keyword> is produced deep <keyword id="20372239" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="underwater" source="keywords">underwater</keyword>, far below the sunlit zones where <keyword id="22965692" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="photosynthesis" source="keywords">photosynthesis</keyword> has long been thought to be the sole producer of oxygen on our planet. This finding, announced in late July 2024, has not only challenged long-standing beliefs about the origins of aerobic life but has also sparked renewed interest in the search for <keyword id="21077288" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="extraterrestrial-life" source="keywords">extraterrestrial life</keyword>.<br /><h3 style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;">The <keyword id="20313609" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="discovery" source="keywords">discovery</keyword> and how it works</h3>The discovery took place in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, within the mysterious <keyword id="22522492" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Clarion-Clipperton-Zone" source="keywords">Clarion-Clipperton Zone</keyword>, a vast underwater region renowned for its polymetallic nodules — metal-rich deposits scattered across the seafloor. For over a decade, researchers led by Andrew Sweetman of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) encountered perplexing data indicating the presence of oxygen in this lightless environment. Initially dismissing these findings as sensor errors, the team eventually confirmed that the oxygen was indeed real and originating from the nodules themselves.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112655642" title="&amp;#39;Alien: Romulus&amp;#39; director Fede Álvarez said he had to fight Disney to keep its extreme ending" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The key to this process lies in the electrochemical properties of the polymetallic nodules. These nodules, composed of metals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese, act like "geobatteries" capable of generating small electrical currents through a process called seawater electrolysis. This reaction splits water molecules, producing both hydrogen and oxygen. The voltage required is minimal — comparable to that of a standard AA battery — but when nodules are clustered together, their collective energy is sufficient to produce significant amounts of oxygen.<br /><h3 style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;">Implications for <keyword id="20144488" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="alien-life" source="keywords">alien life</keyword></h3>This discovery has profound implications for the search for extraterrestrial life. Previously, the existence of oxygen was considered a strong indicator of photosynthetic life forms. However, if oxygen can be produced in such an unconventional and lightless environment on Earth, it opens the door to the possibility that similar processes might occur on other celestial bodies with comparable conditions. This raises the tantalising prospect that life — or at least oxygen production — could exist on planets or moons without the need for sunlight.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112860594" title="Space startup Reflect Orbital plans to sell &amp;quot;sunlight on demand&amp;quot; — how will it work?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>While the discovery is thrilling, it also presents challenges, particularly in the context of deep-sea mining. As industries look to exploit the mineral wealth of the ocean floor, there's now a pressing need to consider the environmental impact of such activities. The destruction of these oxygen-producing nodules could have severe consequences for <keyword id="22965693" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="deep-sea-ecosystems" source="keywords">deep-sea ecosystems</keyword>, potentially creating more "dead zones" where life struggles to recover.<br />

Dark oxygen: How the discovery of new oxygen deep underwater has reignited the search for alien life

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists have discovered thousands of new species in an area of the Pacific Ocean.</li><li>They found 5,578 species in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a 1.7 million square mile region.</li></ul><p>Scientists researching an untouched area of the Pacific Ocean have discovered over 5,000 new species, according to research published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00534-1">Current Biology</a>.</p><p>The area, which is rich in minerals, has been identified as a target zone for future mining, and scientists have set out to research the area's ecosystem before it begins.</p><p>Of the 5,578 new species discovered, around 88% to 92% were "new to science," the report says.</p><p>The new species were found thousands of feet deep in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), an area of the ocean floor between Hawaii and Mexico that spans 1.7 million square miles.</p><div type="image" title="Location of the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean." height="682" width="910" msid="100725029" hostid="261" sizebytes="111406"></div><p>One of the main concerns is that mining activity would destroy this fragile ecosystem that has likely been unchanged for millions of years.</p><p>Adrian Glover, a researcher at London's <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/may/90-of-species-in-prospective-deep-sea-mining-zone-are-unnamed.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Natural History Museum</a> and a co-author of the study, said, "It is imperative that we work with the companies looking to mine these resources to ensure any such activity is done in a way that limits its impact upon the natural world."</p><p>According to the report, the CCZ was first explored in the 1960s, while informal lists of species were created from the late 1970s to the 1990s.</p><div type="image" title="A squat lobster discovered in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone" height="801" width="1603" msid="100568583" hostid="261"></div><p>"In a way, I am surprised about how little we actually know," said Muriel Rabone, a deep-sea researcher at the Natural History Museum and the lead author of the study.</p><p>"Considering we have been visiting the CCZ since the 1960s, and it is actually the best-known abyssal region, yet we still know only 10% of species-level diversity," she added.</p><div type="image" title="An array of crustaceans found in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone" height="1559" width="2079" msid="100568585" hostid="261"></div><p>The Natural History Museum says that the CCZ is home to a wide variety of species, including sea cucumbers, sponges, crustaceans, worms, "and even the odd fish." One of the incredible discoveries in the region earned nicknamed the "gummy squirrel" due to its jelly-like appearance, Glover told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/25/more-than-5000-new-species-discovered-in-pacific-deep-sea-mining-hotspot">The Guardian</a>.</p><div type="image" title="A discovery in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone" height="2628" width="3504" msid="100568587" hostid="261"></div><p>Nineteen contracts have so far been awarded to deep-sea mining contractors to explore the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, according to the <a href="https://www.isa.org.jm/exploration-contracts/">International Seabed Authority</a>.</p>

A pristine region of the Pacific Ocean targeted for deep-sea mining contains 5,000 new marine species, say scientists

You Searched For "Clarion Clipperton Zone" and got 2 results

Dark oxygen: How the discovery of new oxygen deep underwater has reignited the search for alien life

BI India Bureau

A pristine region of the Pacific Ocean targeted for deep-sea mining contains 5,000 new marine species, say scientists

Bethany Dawson

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides