CONFIRMED: Oxygen can be created without photosynthesis in nature.
Scientists have discovered that the deep ocean produces oxygen without sunlight, challenging the belief that photosynthesis is the only source of life-sustaining air.
In the absolute darkness 13,000 feet below the Pacific surface, a team led by the Scottish Association for Marine Science has discovered “dark oxygen,” produced entirely without sunlight.
While surveying the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, researchers identified polymetallic nodules—potato-sized rocks rich in cobalt and nickel—that function as natural “geobatteries.” These electrically charged rocks generate enough voltage to trigger seawater electrolysis, a chemical process that splits H2O into hydrogen and oxygen. This finding overturns centuries of biological theory which held that only photosynthetic life like plants and algae could generate oxygen.
This geological breakthrough could rewrite the origins of life on Earth, suggesting that aerobic organisms may have evolved in the deep sea long before photosynthesis began on the surface. However, the discovery also introduces a significant conflict for the green energy transition. These same oxygen-producing nodules are the primary targets for deep-sea mining companies seeking metals for electric vehicle batteries. By harvesting these minerals, we may inadvertently destroy the very mechanisms that oxygenate and sustain the abyssal ecosystem, forcing scientists to urgently reassess the ecological costs of mineral extraction.
source: Sweetman, A. K., et al. Evidence of dark oxygen production at the abyssal seafloor. Nature Geoscience.
CONFIRMED: Oxygen can be created without photosynthesis.
Scientists have discovered that the deep ocean produces oxygen without sunlight, challenging the belief that photosynthesis is the only source of life-sustaining air.
In the absolute darkness 13,000 feet below the… pic.twitter.com/2d5SosK8Sr
— Smart Science (@SmartScience) April 30, 2026
I didn’t expect “oxygen from rocks in the dark ocean” to be real.