An international team of researchers recently discovered that some 13,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, oxygen can be produced through natural electrolysis. The group found that small lumps called polymetallic nodules at the bottom of the ocean acted as geo batteries that were able to produce enough electricity to break down water and make oxygen.
That observation challenges the idea that photosynthesis is necessary to produce enough oxygen for living organisms. The researchers hypothesize that this could be a source of oxygen for deep-sea creatures. But while it gives some answers as to how life can thrive at the bottom of the sea, it also raises a lot of new questions.
Science Friday guest host and producer Charles Bergquist is joined by the lead electrochemist of the study, Dr. Franz Geiger, the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University, to answer some of these questions.
Further Reading
- Read more about this finding via Smithsonian Magazine.
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Segment Guests
Franz Geiger
Dr. Franz Geiger is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
Segment Transcript
The transcript of this segment is being processed. It will be available within one week after the show airs.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Andrea Valeria Diaz Tolivia
@AndreaValeriaDTAndrea Valeria Diaz Tolivia is a radio production fellow at Science Friday. Her topics of interest include the environment, engineering projects, science policy and any science topic that could make for a great sci-fi plot.
About Charles Bergquist
@cbquistAs Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. Favorite topics include planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.