Sent in by Robert – discovery of dark oxygen from deep sea metal bearing lumps could trigger a rethink of the origin of life on earth. See https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/discovery-of-dark-oxygen-from-deep-sea-metal-lumps-could-trigger-rethink-of-origins-of-life … and variously https://www.sciencealert.com/mysterious-dark-oxygen-discovered-at-bottom-of-ocean-stuns-scientists/ … potato sized metallic nodules are strewn across the Pacific Ocen sea floor. They appear to produce oxygen in complete darkness and without any help from living organisms. Previously, oxygen consumption in the deep sea was recorded – but this new finding contradicts the mainstream view of oxygen production. It seems to be produced by sea water electrolysis. Sea water is split into oxygen and hydrogen by the presence of an electric charge. So called polymetallic nodules are common on the ocean floor abyssal plain – flat regions of the sea bed that are 3000 to 6000 metres below the surface. These nodules are being eyed up by different countries as a source of valuable metals and minerals. The big discovery, it seems, is that the mainstream belief that oxygen is only produced naturally via plant synthesis and oxidising ammonia is quite wrong. It can also be produced by these nodules. Naturally.
The nodules produce very small voltage, by themselves, but when clustered together they can reach the voltage required to split oxygen from water. They are a natural geobattery, it has been suggested. It was this fact that intrigued Robert. He said, they have been dubbed batteries in rocks. However, they are also rich in cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, which are all used in battery manufacture as well as smart phones, wind turbines, and solar panels. They are all going to be exploited for the green economy. Robert asks, raiding the sea floor to save the planet. What could possibly go wrong?