Scientists find dark oxygen production at the seafloor, challenging theories of life's origins.

Scientists discover 'dark' oxygen production at the seafloor, challenging theories about life's origins. Polymetallic nodules on the ocean floor generate electricity and split water into hydrogen and "dark oxygen" in the absence of light. This new finding challenges the long-held belief that only photosynthetic organisms can produce Earth's oxygen and may require rethinking how life first began on Earth.