00:00When diving into the icy depths of the Pacific Ocean, 13,000 feet down, something strange
00:07happens.
00:08The oxygen levels suddenly spike.
00:11It doesn't make sense since we're surrounded by this terrifying darkness.
00:15That's when researchers figured out they were dealing with something totally new – dark
00:20oxygen.
00:21This special kind of oxygen, formed in the cold depths of the ocean, could change our
00:26understanding of the origins of life on Earth.
00:29It might even bring us closer to finding life on distant planets.
00:33And it was all discovered by accident.
00:38Our adventure begins in the Clarion-Clipperton zone, a vast area in Pacific waters that is
00:44larger than Mexico.
00:46When we dive to the very bottom here, we stumble upon these peculiar potato-shaped mounds scattered
00:52across the ocean floor.
00:54These are officially called polymetallic modules.
00:57They might not look like much, but these little mounds are like hidden treasure chests.
01:02Over millions of years, metals dissolved in seawater slowly collect around tiny bits of
01:07shell or debris, forming these nodules.
01:11Inside them, you'll find valuable metals like manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt.
01:17These elements are crucial for making batteries, like the ones that power your cell phone and
01:22electric vehicles.
01:25That's why the Clarion-Clipperton zone has become a hotspot for deep-sea mining.
01:30Today, 16 deep-sea mining contractors have permission to explore around 20% of its seafloor.
01:37This rush to the depths has made researchers curious to find out what's down there.
01:43So they've used some advanced machines to collect sediment from the seabottom.
01:47And then things got strange.
01:51The instruments started showing something impossible – massive amounts of oxygen produced
01:56on the seafloor, in complete total darkness.
02:00Now wait, that is not supposed to happen.
02:03You see, the deeper you go into the ocean, the less oxygen you find in the water.
02:08By the time you're about 3,000 feet down, there is barely any left.
02:13The water is too far from the surface for any atmospheric exchange.
02:17And to make matters worse, oxygen is constantly being used up by the deep-sea organisms that
02:22live there and by bacteria breaking down organic matter.
02:26So oxygen production this far down is supposed to be impossible.
02:33At first, researchers didn't believe their eyes.
02:36They thought the sensors were broken or faulty, because every study ever done in the deep
02:41sea has only shown oxygen being consumed, not produced.
02:46They kept seeing the same results repeatedly.
02:49For 10 years, this mysterious oxygen kept showing up.
02:53Finally, they realized the numbers might not be wrong.
02:59Turns out those metal nodules could be producing oxygen, working like batteries.
03:04When you drop a battery into seawater, you would see bubbles and hear fizzing, because
03:09the electric current splits seawater into oxygen and hydrogen in a process known as
03:14electrolysis.
03:15So the researchers' theory was that these nodules were doing the same thing, but in
03:20their natural state.
03:23And they were right.
03:24The nodules were, in fact, electrically charged, carrying about 0.95 volts.
03:30That's not enough to split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen.
03:34We would need about 1.5 volts for that, the power of a AA battery.
03:39But when these nodules cluster together, much higher voltages can be observed, enough to
03:44trigger the reaction and produce oxygen.
03:47So in a way, these nodules were generating electric currents strong enough to split molecules
03:52of seawater and produce oxygen, even in the complete absence of light.
04:00This discovery is fascinating because it completely flips our understanding of how oxygen can
04:05be produced.
04:06Up until now, we have always thought oxygen was produced by photosynthesis.
04:11You know, that process where plants and algae convert sunlight into energy and release oxygen.
04:17But in this pitch-black deep-sea environment, oxygen was being produced purely through electrolysis.
04:23No sunlight was needed.
04:25That's why people started calling it dark oxygen.
04:30This finding makes us rethink how life might've started on Earth more than 3 billion years
04:35ago.
04:36Think about it.
04:38Plants need oxygen to survive, but they're the ones that produce oxygen.
04:42So where did the first oxygen come from?
04:45This complex issue sounds a bit like a chicken-and-egg situation.
04:49But it might have an answer, now that we know oxygen can be made in ways that don't need
04:54sunlight or photosynthesis.
04:57It's possible there was another mysterious source of oxygen back then, which could have
05:01allowed oxygen-breathing lifeforms to exist even before photosynthesis became a thing.
05:09The dark oxygen doesn't just change our understanding of Earth's past.
05:14It also opens up new possibilities for life elsewhere in the universe.
05:18If this process is happening here on Earth, it might also be happening on other planets
05:23or moons.
05:24Take Saturn's moon Enceladus or Jupiter's moon Europa, for example.
05:29Both appear to have salty, liquid oceans hidden beneath thick layers of ice.
05:34Could dark oxygen be creating oxygen-rich environments in these oceans too?
05:41The implications go beyond our solar system.
05:44This discovery makes us rethink how we define potential habitats for life.
05:49As we explore exoplanets orbiting distant stars, understanding dark oxygen production
05:55could help us identify places where life might exist under conditions completely different
06:00from those on Earth.
06:02Instead of only looking for planets with sunlight, scientists might need to search for signs
06:06of chemical reactions that could support life even in complete darkness.
06:12This is all exciting news, but let's not forget how our story started with deep-sea mining.
06:18This is how this process usually works.
06:21Crews send down a remote-controlled underwater vehicle, like a tractor, to crawl along the
06:26ocean floor.
06:27This vehicle picks up the metallic nodules and sediment and pulls them through a pipe
06:32up to a ship on the surface.
06:34Once they have the nodules, the crew sends the leftover sediment back into the ocean
06:38at mid-depth.
06:40The sediment eventually settles back down to the ocean floor.
06:45So is deep-sea mining good or bad?
06:47It's hard to say.
06:49On one hand, we've found massive and exciting deposits of metals that are essential for
06:54creating new, clean technologies like solar panels and electric vehicles.
06:59With the demand for these critical materials skyrocketing, and it could grow by up to 600%
07:05in the coming decades, deep-sea mining could be a game-changer.
07:11Some studies even argue that this activity might be less harmful than traditional mining.
07:16Since it happens far out at sea, it might help us avoid destroying forests or polluting
07:21water supplies.
07:22Plus, because it's so hard to reach these minerals, it might be easier to monitor this
07:27activity, keeping things under control and regulating the process.
07:34On the other hand, there is this current fear that looking for valuable minerals in the
07:38ocean could disrupt the dark oxygen process.
07:42Those metal-rich nodules aren't just sitting there doing nothing.
07:45I mean, they're actively participating in the chemical processes that shape our planet.
07:51So they could be playing a key role in everything from nutrient cycles to the formation of new
07:57life.
07:58Scientists believe that mining could eventually damage marine life and seabed habitats that
08:03depend on dark oxygen.
08:06Despite its remote location and extreme conditions, the Clarion-Clipperton zone is home to a
08:12surprisingly diverse and mysterious range of deep-sea creatures, from ghostly white
08:17sea anemones and deep purple sea cucumbers to tiny marine isopods, the distant cousins
08:23of the pill bug.
08:25But we know little about what's down there.
08:27It's believed that 90% of the creatures that live in the deep waters of the Clarion-Clipperton
08:32zone are unknown to science.
08:35I mean, we do know about their existence, but they don't have an official name and
08:39the species can't be identified.
08:43Since the eerie creatures that live in pitch-black depths are still pretty much a mystery, it's
08:48hard to say if they or their environment would be really at risk if deep-sea mining continues
08:54at full speed.
08:55What experts do know is that we need more studies, more data, and more understanding.
09:03That's it for today!
09:04So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
09:09friends.
09:10Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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