Scientists have discovered that metallic minerals on the ocean floor at 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) below the surface of the earth may produce oxygen.
The discovery by a group of academics has important consequences for our knowledge of Earth’s atmosphere and potential extraterrestrial life, challenging the long-held idea that oxygen is created primarily by photosynthetic organisms.
Before now, scientists believed that oxygen was a byproduct of life, specifically generated by photosynthesizing autotrophs such as plants and algae. However, the current study challenges that simplified story.
