Metallic Rocks In The Ocean Produce Oxygen Without Photosynthesis
Summary
TLDRThe video delves into the potential ramifications of deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules, which are mineral deposits rich in metals like manganese, cobalt, and nickel. These 'ocean potatoes' not only harbor significant biodiversity but also produce oxygen, suggesting a non-photosynthesis based oxygenation of early oceans. The discovery challenges our understanding of life's evolution and raises concerns about the environmental impact of mining these nodules, which could disrupt ecological niches and the planet's oxygen balance.
Takeaways
- ๐ The script discusses a potentially groundbreaking discovery in ocean sciences related to polymetallic nodules, which could impact deep-sea mining and our understanding of life's origin.
- ๐ Polymetallic nodules, also known as manganese nodules, are mineral deposits rich in metals like manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and lithium, which are in high demand for battery production.
- ๐ These nodules are found in vast quantities on the ocean floor, particularly in regions with hydrothermal vents, and can be as large as potatoes or large eggs, lying on the seafloor.
- ๐ก The historical interest in mining these nodules dates back to the 1970s and 1980s, but concerns over environmental damage led to a halt in such activities by the early 1980s due to economic reasons rather than environmental regulations.
- ๐ซ Mining these nodules could cause irreversible damage to the marine ecosystem, as they are a crucial part of the biosphere with high biodiversity, similar to coral reefs.
- ๐ฌ Recent studies have found that these nodules may produce oxygen, a discovery that was unexpected and could have significant implications for understanding the evolution of life and the origin of oxygen on Earth.
- ๐ The nodules act like natural batteries, producing voltage that can lead to the electrolysis of water, resulting in the production of oxygen and hydrogen.
- โณ These geological phenomena grow extremely slowly, taking millions of years to form, and may have been present for over 500 million years, potentially oxygenating early oceans and providing an environment for complex life to evolve.
- ๐ฟ The discovery challenges the traditional view that photosynthesis was the primary source of oxygen for the evolution of complex life, suggesting that non-photosynthesis processes could have played a significant role.
- ๐ The implications of this discovery are not only scientific but also ethical, as mining these nodules could have detrimental effects on the planet's biodiversity and ecological balance.
- ๐ฎ The script suggests that similar conditions to those that form these nodules could exist on other celestial bodies, potentially providing environments conducive to the origin of life elsewhere in the universe.
Q & A
What is the significance of the discovery discussed in the video?
-The discovery discussed in the video is significant because it involves polymetallic nodules, which are mineral deposits found on the ocean floor. These nodules contain various metals like manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and lithium, which are in high demand for battery production. The discovery could have major implications for deep-sea mining and the environment.
What are polymetallic nodules commonly referred to as?
-Polymetallic nodules are commonly referred to as manganese nodules, although they contain more than just manganese.
What is the typical size of these polymetallic nodules?
-The typical size of these polymetallic nodules is similar to that of a potato or a large egg.
Why are mining companies interested in these nodules?
-Mining companies are interested in these nodules because they contain various metals that are in high demand, especially for the production of batteries.
What historical context is provided about the interest in mining these nodules?
-In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a surge in interest in mining these nodules as countries explored ways to extract them from the ocean floor. However, concerns about environmental damage and economic factors led to a decline in interest.
What environmental concerns were raised about mining these nodules?
-Environmental concerns included the potential destruction of bioecological niches and irreversible damage to biodiversity, similar to the impact of mining coral reefs.
Why did mining efforts for these nodules largely stop in the 1980s?
-Mining efforts largely stopped in the 1980s due to economic reasons, specifically a sudden decrease in metal prices, which led to near bankruptcies for many companies involved in these ventures.
What new discovery about these nodules has been made in recent studies?
-Recent studies have discovered that these nodules seem to produce oxygen, which contributes to the high biodiversity in certain regions of the ocean.
How do these nodules produce oxygen?
-The nodules act like natural batteries, producing voltage that leads to the electrolysis of water, resulting in the production of oxygen and hydrogen.
What implications does this discovery have for our understanding of the origin of life on Earth?
-This discovery suggests that these nodules could have played a role in oxygenating early oceans, providing an environment necessary for more complex life to evolve. It challenges the idea that photosynthesis was the only source of oxygen for early life.
What potential impact could mining these nodules have on the environment?
-Mining these nodules could lead to a major environmental collapse, as they contribute significantly to biodiversity and oxygen production in the ocean. Eliminating this source of 'dark oxygen' could have unknown effects on the rest of the ocean life and even the planet.
Outlines
๐ Oceanic Discovery: Polymetallic Nodules
This paragraph introduces the topic of polymetallic nodules, also known as manganese nodules, which are mineral deposits found on the ocean floor. These nodules contain valuable metals like manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and lithium, making them a target for mining companies, especially for battery production. The speaker discusses the historical interest in mining these nodules, which peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, and the subsequent environmental concerns that led to a halt in mining activities. The paragraph also highlights the potential ecological damage caused by mining these nodules, as seen in past attempts, and the current resurgence of interest due to the demand for battery materials.
๐ฑ Unusual Oxygen Production by 'Ocean Potatoes'
The second paragraph delves into a surprising discovery about the polymetallic nodules: their ability to produce oxygen. Scientists observed elevated oxygen levels around these formations, leading to the hypothesis that the nodules act like batteries, generating voltage that causes electrolysis of water, producing oxygen and hydrogen. This natural process, termed 'dark oxygen,' is not dependent on photosynthesis and contributes significantly to the biodiversity in the deep ocean. The paragraph also discusses the potential implications of mining these nodules, which could disrupt this natural oxygen production and have far-reaching effects on marine life and the planet's ecosystem. Additionally, the speaker speculates on the role these nodules might have played in the early oxygenation of Earth's oceans, possibly supporting the evolution of complex life.
๐ Implications for Life Beyond Earth
In the final paragraph, the speaker explores the broader implications of the discovery, suggesting that similar geological processes could occur on other celestial bodies, potentially providing conditions for the origin of complex life elsewhere. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding these natural 'geo-batteries' and their role in the evolution of life and the source of early oxygen on Earth. It also underscores the potential environmental consequences of mining these nodules, not only for Earth but also for other planetary bodies. The speaker concludes by encouraging viewers to stay informed about these developments and the ongoing research in this field.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กManganese Nodule
๐กDeep Sea Mining
๐กBiodiversity
๐กHydrothermal Vents
๐กPolymetallic Nodule
๐กElectrolysis
๐กOxygen Production
๐กEnvironmental Impact
๐กEvolution of Life
๐กGeo Batteries
๐กPhotosynthesis
Highlights
Anton discusses a potentially groundbreaking discovery in ocean sciences with implications for the origin of life and deep-sea mining.
The unusual rock formation known as polymetallic nodules, rich in metals like manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and lithium, could be crucial for battery production.
Mining companies are interested in these nodules due to the high demand for metals in battery technology, despite the environmental concerns.
In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a surge in interest for mining these nodules, but the projects were abandoned due to economic reasons, not environmental.
Studies show that mining these nodules can cause irreversible damage to the marine ecosystem, similar to mining coral reefs.
Recent studies have found that these nodules may have been oxygenating early oceans, providing an environment for complex life to evolve.
The recovery of microbial communities in mined areas is slow, with some taking up to 50 years, indicating the long-term impact of mining.
A renewed interest in mining these nodules has emerged due to the shortage of materials like lithium for batteries.
Researchers discovered that these 'ocean potatoes' produce oxygen, a finding that was completely unexpected.
The oxygen production by the nodules could be linked to a natural process similar to batteries, where they act as geo-batteries.
The nodules were found to have voltages up to 95 volts, which could be increased through clustering, leading to natural electrolysis.
The process of electrolysis in these nodules produces 'dark oxygen,' oxygen not requiring photosynthesis, supporting high biodiversity.
Mining these nodules could lead to a significant environmental collapse due to the loss of dark oxygen and its impact on marine life.
The discovery suggests that the origin of complex life on Earth might not have needed photosynthesis, as an alternative oxygen source existed.
The existence of these nodules challenges our understanding of the great oxygenation event and the role of photosynthetic bacteria in complex life.
The discovery implies that similar conditions for complex life could exist on other planets, opening up new possibilities for astrobiology.
The study's findings emphasize the importance of not mining these nodules to prevent detrimental effects on the planet's ecosystems.
Anton invites viewers to subscribe and stay updated for future discussions on this topic as more discoveries and clarifications emerge.
Transcripts
hello person this is Anton and today
we're going to discuss what could
potentially become one of the most
exciting discoveries in Ocean sciences
and in studies regarding the origin of
life in the last few decades a discovery
that could have huge ramifications if
one day deep sea mining finally takes
off and starts to recover a lot of
different minerals and deposits from the
bottom of the oceans but in order to
understand why this discovery is so
important let's discuss a little bit of
history and basically what happened back
in the 1970s and 1980s and all of this
is about this and unusual Rock like
formation that goes by different names
normally it's known as the manganes
nodule but because it doesn't just
contain manganes it's much more often
referred to as poly metallic nodule a
type of a mineral deposit that usually
forms on the ocean floor and can
actually be present in huge amounts in
certain regions of the ocean and the
depending on the location and also
depending on how they were created they
will often contain different types of
metals now manganese and iron are pretty
common here but they can also contain
Cobalt nickel copper lithium and
basically a lot of other stuff many
different mining companies today are
desperately looking for because of the
demand when it comes to batteries and
because these nodules mix various
minerals and various metals and a
normally a size of a potato or some kind
of a large egg and also just generally
lie on the seaf floor and can just
easily be picked up naturally quite a
lot of companies out there have been
trying to find a way to exploit this and
to collect them in order to obviously
sell them so they can then be used for
new batteries and in the last few years
several private companies received
certain rights to potentially mine them
in certain locations but nothing so far
has materialized and honestly for the
reasons we'll discuss today hopefully it
never will but I guess what's important
to understand is that this is not the
first time someone has been interested
in mining them as a matter of fact back
in 1970s there was a sudden huge
explosion in pretty much all countries
talking about this and basically trying
to find a way to extract them from the
ocean floor just because you literally
have this metal line there and you just
have to pick it up in order to then
extract everything as long as you have a
ship and a long enough hose and based on
a lot of different surveys we know that
these things are pretty much everywhere
and they don't just appear in oceans
they even appear in various lakes and
are especially very frequent near
hydrothermal vents or ancient locations
where hydrothermal vents existed but
usually at high depths normally around 2
to 4 km and in certain locations there
are so many of them that they literally
form the sea Flor but as you can see
from this picture they also obviously
serve as a really important part of
biosphere the amount of biodiversity
around them seems to be really really
high and so even in the 70s and in the
80s there was a bit of a concern in
regards to mining this because it
basically looked like we were mining a
coral reef destroying huge amounts of
bioecological niches and potentially
causing irreversible damage and while
surprisingly around the early 1980s
after just a few initial attempts this
particular type of mining completely
stopped although ironically it wasn't a
result of some kind of a realization
that we're destroying the biosphere or
any kind of a regulation it was pure
economics the sudden decrease in metal
prices in the late '70s early 80s
basically led to near bankruptcies for
many different companies and the
abandonment of these projects by 1982
and so between 1960s and 1984 something
like half a billion dollars was
completely lost on many of these
Ventures no profits were made and
because there were certain locations
where we know a lot of damage has been
done for the past four to five decades
several scientific teams have been
actually trying to find out okay so what
exactly happened there and did those
areas recover here's actually one of the
locations extremely close to the gapas
island and while you can learn about the
actual details in one of the links in
the description but just to quote some
of the discoveries even 26 years later
microbial communities had only partially
recovered and the full recovery could
take up to 50 years whereas when it
comes to meapa there was no signs of
recovery even after 26 years with only
some SC Avengers returning to the area
but the conclusion being that mining
caused a dramatic and irreversible
damage to various types of life that
used to exist here but despite these
conclusions in the last I guess 3 to 4
years there's been now A Renewed
interest just because of the need for
new batteries and because of the
shortage of things like lithium and so
several companies are now trying to once
again Harvest these unusual ocean
potatoes which led to additional studies
of course including this one that one
once again tried to assess potential
dangers and in the process discovered
something really no one expected these
as I call them ocean potatoes seem to
produce oxygen and quite a lot of it
which is why those unusual locations had
such a huge biodiversity and this by
itself was absolutely unexpected and so
I guess the next question is okay but
how exactly does this work and what
exactly does this mean for our
understanding of evolution of life and
the origin of life on the planet and by
the way the study for this is as always
in the description below and so here as
the scientists were trying to study this
they initially made a surprising
discovery as they were measuring oxygen
levels from the surface of the ocean
going deeper and deeper down to the seaf
Flor now normally in these conditions
you kind of expect the oxygen levels to
drop over time because there's really no
photosynthesis where there's complete
darkness but to their surprise near the
bottom of the ocean they would always
discover these oxygen rich areas and
more surprisingly by measuring this over
several years it seemed pretty clear
that around these formations the oxygen
levels were highly elevated which kind
of made no sense and here there were
several assumptions one of them was that
maybe this is some kind of unusual
organism that seems to create these
habitable conditions in the depths of
the oceans or maybe and I guess more
likely this was just a problem with
measurements and some kind of a
contamination so basically maybe the
equipment was not working correctly and
so several addition observations have
been conducted but the results were
always the same but this time the
researchers behind the study decided to
try something a little bit different
they basically collected these nodules
bringing them to the surface and try
different techniques in order to see if
there's still oxygen being produced and
the answer was yes which almost
instantly leted them to propose a very
bizarre hypothesis these unusual rocks
were basically acting like batteries in
other words they were producing voltage
which would then lead to electrolysis of
water producing oxygen and hydrogen as a
result and because we know that
approximately 1.5 volt or a typical able
a battery is usually enough to split sea
water in order to produce oxygen this
explanation potentially made sense but
it had to be confirmed by measuring the
voltage of these nodules which is
exactly what was done in this study for
a single rock it was up to 95 volts
which though is not as high as 1.5 volts
required for electrolysis would become
much higher if a lot of these rocks were
touching and would thus produce a kind
of a battery series and so by clustering
these nodules together much higher
voltages could be produced thus creating
natural electrolysis with the voltage
itself coming through a chemical process
involving iron rust and so these natural
Geo batteries seem to be responsible for
a production of a lot of oxygen in the
oceans here the scientists refer to this
as dark oxygen or basically oxygen not
requiring photosynthesis and also oxygen
that seems to be responsible for a lot
of these e ological niches producing
tremendous biodiversity in a lot of
these locations as a matter of fact in
some locations the biodiversity of FAA
in these regions is just as high as in a
typical tropical rainforest which means
that mining these would lead to major
environmental collapse but I guess more
importantly by mining these and by
eliminating this dark oxygen we actually
have no idea what effect this would have
on the rest of the ocean life and even
the rest of the planet and so in that
sense this is a real important discovery
which will hopefully stop these mining
plants from becoming a reality but what
about the origin of life well the thing
about these unusual nodules is that
first of all they take a really long
time to grow a typical rock like this
would actually take hundreds of millions
of years as a matter of fact this is the
slowest known geological phenomenon
where a single centimeter takes several
million years to acquire and mostly
through some really complex processes
involving precipitation of various
metals from the seawater or really from
any water above and it's also quite
likely that they already existed at
least 500 million years ago oxygenating
early oceans and providing necessary
environment for more complex life to
evolve and though it's still unknown
exactly when they started forming it's
actually assumed to have started before
aerobic life began on planet Earth or
basically before oxygen was even
required which also suggests that life
on Earth maybe didn't even need
photosynthetic alogy to become more
complex as an additional source of
oxygen already existed in the depths of
the ocean and so because of this
nonphotosynthetic process that very
likely existed for billions of years we
now might have to rethink how we believe
complex life started on the planet and
what oxygen source was dominant back in
the days and so even the great
oxygenation event and the spread of
photosynthetic bacteria in the oceans
along with various algae was always
believed to be a kind of a catalyst for
complex life this particular Discovery
suggests that maybe things were not as
simple and more importantly it also
suggests that all of this could happen
elsewhere because this is a natural
geological process that just requires
water and a lot of metals dissolved in
water for all we know very similar
conditions could exist on a lot of other
objects out there and could thus even
provide conditions for complex life to
originate in the oceans of some other
unusual world and so in some sense this
is definitely a kind of a ground
breaking Discovery both in regards to
the evolution of life and the source of
early oxygen on the planet but also in
helping us understand that maybe mining
any of this would be very detrimental
for the entire planet but because this
is a relatively recent discovery we'll
come back and talk more about this in
some of the future videos once there are
additional discoveries and more
clarifications and so until then thank
you for watching subscribe share this
with someone who Lov learning about
space and Sciences come back tomorrow to
learn something else support this
channel on patreon by joy and membership
or by buying the wonderful person
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stay wonderful I'll see you tomorrow and
as always bye-bye
[Music]
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