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Exploring ‘Dark Oxygen’: Scientists Research Its Impact in Deep Sea Mining Zones

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Experiment on Oxygen Production by Deep-Sea Nodule

Experiment on Oxygen Production with Deep-Sea Nodule

Nippon Foundation

Scientists are set to deploy instruments to the ocean floor to explore the intriguing process of metal nodules producing oxygen in the Pacific Ocean. This unexpected phenomenon has ignited significant debate regarding the ethics of deep-sea mining.

In a surprising revelation from 2024, researchers identified that a potato-sized formation in the depths of the Pacific and Indian Oceans—including the distinguished Clarion-Clipperton Zone—functions as a vital oxygen source. This discovery challenges the conventional belief that large-scale oxygen production derives solely from sunlight and photosynthesis.

Dubbed “dark oxygen,” this phenomenon sustains life within the abyss, including microorganisms, sea cucumbers, and predatory sea anemones thriving thousands of meters beneath the surface. This finding casts doubt on proposals from deep-sea mining companies aiming to extract cobalt, nickel, and manganese by removing nodules from the ocean floor. A controversial deep-sea mining company was involved in this discovery, prompting a call for further scientific investigation.

Now, the team responsible for discovering dark oxygen is returning to the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, the prime location for potential deep-sea mining, to verify its existence and comprehend the mechanisms behind its production.

“Where does the oxygen come from for these diverse animal communities to thrive?” asked Andrew Sweetman from the Scottish Marine Science Society. “This could be an essential process, and we’re focused on uncovering it.”

The researchers propose that a metallic layer in the nodule generates an electrical current which splits seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. They’ve recorded up to 0.95 volts of electricity on the surface of the nodules—just below the standard 1.23 volts necessary for electrolysis. However, the team suggests that individual nodules or clusters could produce higher voltages.

Plans are underway to deploy a lander, essentially a metal frame housing various instruments, to a depth of 10,000 meters to measure oxygen flow and pH changes, as the electrolysis process releases protons, increasing water acidity.

Research Lander Deployed Into the Ocean

Scottish Marine Science Society

Given the potential role of microorganisms in this process, the lander will also collect sediment cores and nodules for laboratory analysis. Each nodule is home to approximately 100 million microorganisms, which researchers aim to identify through DNA sequencing and fluorescence microscopy.

“The immense diversity of microorganisms is constantly evolving; we are continually discovering new species,” remarked Jeff Marlow from Boston University. “Are they active? Are they influencing their environment in crucial ways?”

Furthermore, since electrolysis is generally not observed under the intense pressures found on the ocean floor, the team intends to utilize a high-pressure reactor to replicate deep-sea conditions and conduct electrolysis experiments there.

“The pressure of 400 atmospheres is comparable to that at which the Titan submarine tragically imploded,” noted Franz Geiger from Northwestern University. “We seek to understand the efficiency of water splitting under such high pressure.”

The ultimate aim is to carry out electrochemical reactions in the presence of microorganisms and bacteria under an electron microscope without harming the microorganisms.

The United Nations’ International Seabed Authority has yet to decide on the legality of deep-sea mining in international waters, with U.S. President Donald Trump advocating for its implementation. The Canadian company, The Metals Company, has applied for authorization from the U.S. government to commence deep-sea mining operations.

A recent paper authored by Metals Company scientists contends that Sweetman and his colleagues have not produced sufficient energy to facilitate seawater electrolysis in 2024, suggesting the observed oxygen was likely transported from the ocean’s surface by the deployed landers.

Sweetman countered this claim, stating that the lander would displace any air bubbles on its descent, and asserted that oxygen measurement would not have occurred if deployed in other regions, such as the Arctic ocean floor, which is 4,000 meters deep. Out of 65 experiments conducted at the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, he noted that 10% exhibited oxygen consumption while the remainder indicated oxygen production.

Sweetman and his colleagues also discovered that the oxidation phase of the electrolysis process can occur at lower voltages than those recorded on the nodule’s surface. A rebuttal presenting this data has been submitted to Natural Earth Science and is currently under review.

“From a commercial perspective, there are definitely interests attempting to suppress research in this field,” stated Sweetman in response to the Metals Company’s opposition to his findings.

“It is imperative to address all comments, regardless of their origin,” added Marlowe. “That is our current predicament in this process.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Enigma of Reactive Oxygen Has Finally Been Unveiled

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Hyperreactive oxygen can form in mitochondria within our cells

Kateryna Kon/Spl/Alamy

After many years, scientists are starting to understand how the chemical reactions in living cells and certain batteries produce odd and harmful forms of oxygen.

Oxygen molecules are not all the same. In some, the two highest energy electrons have opposing quantum spins, while in others, the spins are aligned. When they align, the molecule is termed “singlet oxygen.” This variant is highly reactive and can lead to harmful transformations in cellular proteins and fats, affecting some batteries too. Since the 1960s, chemists have sought to pinpoint when these perilous oxygen forms, which we normally appreciate as breathable, become problematic during chemical reactions. Stefan Freunberger from Austria and his research team at the Institute of Science and Technology have made significant progress in this area.

The team carried out various experiments starting with superoxide molecules. They studied the oxygen-dependent reactions utilized by mitochondria in energy production and its influence on the generation of both oxygen forms. While cells possess enzymes to facilitate this process, the team tested various “mediator” molecules, enabling them to observe a broader spectrum of reactions that could yield oxygen under varying energy conditions. They found that this specific energy requirement is crucial; it needs to be notably high for singlet oxygen to be produced.

“There has been considerable debate over whether singlet oxygen truly depends on the cellular environment for its formation. Up until now, this has not been clearly established,” remarked Freunberger.

Because mitochondria maintain elevated pH levels that limit their driving force, recent findings indicate that significant amounts of singlet oxygen are not generated within these cellular areas, effectively safeguarding them against damage.

Christopher McNeill from Eszürich, Switzerland, indicates that understanding singlet oxygen generation extends beyond biological implications. “Even if it forms, it can cause harm or react adversely with nearby elements,” he explains. The insights from this study could clarify certain battery types and may help elucidate why they occasionally degrade from the inside, McNeill notes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

A Compact Device Generates Water, Oxygen, and Fuel from Lunar Soil

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Image of the moon captured by Chang’e 5 Lander in China, which gathered samples in 2020

CNSA/Xinhua/Alamy

Solar energy systems can generate water, oxygen, and fuel from lunar regolith for future settlements of lunar explorers.

It has been established that significant amounts of water are bound in the minerals of the moon. However, methods proposed for extracting resources from lunar regolith typically involve complex and energy-heavy techniques that aren’t practical for long-lasting lunar colonies.

Recently, Lu Wang and his team at the Chinese University of Hong Kong discovered that a relatively straightforward solar-powered nuclear reactor could yield useful materials simply by exposing lunar regolith to sunlight and utilizing them through astronauts.

In their experiments, the researchers utilized lunar samples obtained from China’s Chang’e 5 mission, along with simulated samples made from Earth-based rocks.

During the operation of the reactor, sunlight first extracts water from the lunar soil, and then the soil facilitates a reaction between CO₂ and water to produce carbon monoxide, oxygen, and hydrogen, which can serve as fuel.

While lunar soil contains various minerals that can aid in these reactions, a compound known as ilmenite is highlighted as a key catalyst, according to Wang.

“The mechanisms of these chemical reactions are quite fascinating and could lead to the creation of essential lunar resources,” says Haihui Joy Jiang, who was not part of the research team at the University of Sydney in Australia.

“We still need to address several questions and direct future research to determine if this process is applicable in a practical, feasible, and scalable manner on the moon,” Jiang adds.

Wang acknowledges the challenges of expanding this process to produce sufficient water, oxygen, and fuel to support a lunar colony. “The moon’s extreme environment presents unique challenges, including severe temperature variations, a high vacuum, intense solar radiation, and low gravity,” he notes. “Moreover, the variability in lunar soil and scarcity of co-resources pose considerable hurdles to technical implementation.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Alma finds evidence of oxygen in the majority of known galaxies

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Astronomers using Atacama’s Large Millimeter/Sub-Millimeter Array (ALMA) detected oxygen in the most perilous confirmed galaxy ever discovered. This detection, made by two different teams, suggests that the galaxy is much more chemically mature than expected.

This is the impression of the artist Jades-GS-Z14-0. Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser.

Discovered in 2024, the Jades-GS-Z14-0 (GS-Z14 for short) is far apart, and its light took 13.4 billion years to reach us. This means that the universe was under 300 million years old, about 2% of its current age.

“It’s like finding adolescence you only expect from a baby,” said PhD Thunder Shues. Leiden Observatory Candidate and First Author of a paper Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal.

“The results show that galaxies are forming very rapidly, mature rapidly, and there is growing evidence that galaxies form much faster than expected.”

Galaxies usually begin life filled with young stars. This is mainly made of light elements such as hydrogen and helium.

As the stars evolve, they create heavier elements like oxygen, which will disperse into the host galaxy after exploding in supernova events.

Researchers thought 300 million years ago that the universe was too young to ripen galaxies with heavy elements.

However, two ALMA studies show that GS-Z14 has about 10 times more heavy elements than expected.

The inset of this image shows Jades-GS-Z14-0 seen in Alma. The two spectra arise from independent analysis of ALMA data by two teams of astronomers. Both discover oxygen radiation, making the universe the most distant detection of oxygen just 300 million years ago. Image credits: alma/eso/naoj/nrao/carniani et al. /schouws et al. /NASA/ESA/CSA/WEBB/STSCI/BRANT ROBERTSON… etc.

“They opened up a new perspective on the first stages of Galaxy’s evolution and were surprised by the unexpected results,” said Dr. Stefano Carniani, an astronomer at the Scola Normal Superore in Pisa and lead author. paper Published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

“Evidence that galaxies are already matured in the infantile universe raises questions about when and how they formed.”

Oxygen detection allowed astronomers to make distance measurements on the GS-Z14 more accurate.

“ALMA detection measures galaxy distances very accurately to just 0.005% uncertainty,” says PhD Eleonora Parlanti. A student at the Scola Normal Supers in Pisa.

“This level of accuracy is similar to being accurate within 5 cm at a distance of 1 km, but it helps to improve our understanding of distant galactic properties.”

“The galaxy was originally discovered by NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb’s space telescope, but Alma took it to see and accurately determine its huge distance,” said Dr. Leichard Boowens, an astronomer at the Leiden Observatory.

“This shows an incredible synergy between Alma and Webb, revealing the formation and evolution of the first galaxy.”

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Thunder Shues et al. 2025. Detecting [OIII]88μm with Jades-GS-Z14-0 at Z = 14.1793. APJin press; Arxiv: 2409.20549

Stefano Carniani et al. 2025. The eventful life of a bright galaxy at Z = 14: metal enrichment, feedback, and low-gas fractions? A&Ain press; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202452451

Source: www.sci.news

Hidden Dark Oxygen on the Ocean Floor Could Revolutionize Evolutionary Rules

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Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the Pacific Ocean that challenges our understanding of Earth’s history and the origin of life. They have found evidence of oxygen production in the deep, lightless depths of the ocean.

The results of this study published in Nature Chemistry challenge the traditional belief that oxygen on Earth is solely produced through photosynthesis.

Lead by Professor Andrew Sweetman, researchers from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) made this discovery while exploring the depths of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, between Hawaii and Mexico.

Named “dark oxygen,” this mysterious phenomenon occurs at depths where light cannot penetrate. The researchers discovered the potential source of this oxygen production while studying polymetallic nodules on the ocean floor, rich in precious metals used in electronics.

These nodules may have the ability to split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen through seawater electrolysis. This finding has significant implications for deep-sea mining activities and the protection of marine habitats.

Director of SAMS, Professor Nicholas Owens, described this discovery as one of the most exciting in marine science, prompting a reevaluation of the evolution of complex life on Earth.

This alternative source of oxygen production challenges the conventional view that cyanobacteria were the first oxygen producers on Earth. It calls for a reconsideration of how complex life evolved and the importance of protecting deep-sea habitats.

To learn more about the experts involved in this research, visit the About the Experts section below.

About the Experts

Andrew Sweetman: Research Group Leader for Benthic Ecology and Biogeochemistry at the Scottish Institute for Marine Science, with extensive experience in deep-sea ecology research.

Nicholas Owens: A marine scientist and Council Member of the Scottish Association for Marine Science, involved in environmental science research and education.

For more information, continue exploring this fascinating discovery and its implications for Earth’s history and marine ecosystems.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Rare earth metal-containing minerals on the ocean floor found to be a source of oxygen production, according to scientists

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Researchers from the Scottish Institute for Marine Science have discovered that the deep ocean floor of the Pacific Ocean, covered with polymetallic nodules, produces so-called “dark oxygen.”

Polymetallic nodules recovered from the ocean floor in a Northwestern University lab. Image courtesy of Camille Bridgewater/Northwestern University.

Polymetallic nodules – naturally occurring mineral deposits that form on the seafloor – are commonly found in the sediment-covered abyssal plains of oceans around the world.

These consist primarily of iron and manganese oxides, but also contain metals such as cobalt and rare earth elements, which are essential components of many advanced, low-carbon energy technologies.

For the new study, Dr Andrew Sweetman from the Scottish Institute for Marine Science and his colleagues carried out experiments using chambers placed on the seafloor at a depth of around 4,200 metres to measure oxygen levels at multiple sites more than 4,000 kilometres apart in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the central Pacific Ocean, where polymetallic nodules are found.

Nearly every experiment showed a steady increase in oxygen levels over the two days.

The researchers conducted additional laboratory analysis and claim that the source of the detected oxygen release is polymetallic nodules.

Based on numerical simulations, they hypothesize that the electrical properties of the nodes are responsible for oxygen production.

While the researchers note that it is difficult to estimate how much oxygen polymetallic nodules produce over a wide area, they suggest that this source of oxygen may support ecosystems on the deep seafloor, which could be affected if these nodules are mined.

“We understand that oxygen was needed for aerobic life to begin on Earth, and Earth's oxygen supply began with photosynthetic organisms,” Dr Sweetman said.

“But we now know that oxygen is produced even in the deep ocean, where there is no light.”

“So I think we need to rethink questions like where did aerobic life begin.”

of result Published in a journal Nature Chemistry.

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A.K. Sweetman othersEvidence for dark oxygen production on the deep seafloor. National GeographyPublished online July 22, 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41561-024-01480-8

This article is based on a press release provided by Springer Nature and Northwestern University.

Source: www.sci.news

Deep Sea Nodules Uncovered as Surprising Oxygen Source

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Nodules taken from the ocean floor being examined in a laboratory

Camille Bridgewater (2024)

Metallic nodules scattered across the floor of the Indian and Pacific Oceans provide a source of oxygen for nearby marine life, a discovery that could upend our understanding of the deep ocean.

In some areas, the abyssal plains are dotted with potato-sized nodules rich in valuable cobalt, manganese and nickel that are targets for deep-sea mining activities.

Andrew Sweetman Researchers from the Scottish Institute for Marine Science in Oban, UK, were conducting research in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean (a region rich in nodules) in 2013 when they first noticed something odd about these waters.

Sweetman and his colleagues sent a machine to the ocean floor, sealed off a 22-square-centimeter section of the seafloor, and measured the flow of oxygen. Far from decreasing, the data suggested that oxygen content was actually increasing in the monitored areas.

But in the absence of any noticeable vegetation, Sweetman says, that didn’t make sense. “I was taught from an early age that oxygen-rich ecosystems were only possible through photosynthesis,” he says. He came to the conclusion that the machine he was using was flawed. “I literally ignored the data,” he says.

Then, in 2021, Sweetman went on another research cruise in the Pacific Ocean, and the machine made the same discovery: elevated oxygen levels at the ocean floor, even using a different measurement method.

“We were seeing the same oxygen production in these two different data sets,” Sweetman says, “and suddenly we realized that we’d been ignoring this incredibly innovative process for the last eight or nine years.”

He and his colleagues speculated that the metal nodules must play a role in boosting oxygen levels in the deep ocean, and laboratory tests of contaminating sediments and nodules ruled out the presence of oxygen-producing microorganisms.

Instead, Sweetman says the material in the nodules acts as a “geo-battery,” generating an electrical current that splits seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. “The reason these nodules are mined is because they contain everything you need to make electric car batteries,” he says. “What if the nodules themselves were acting as natural geo-batteries?”

When the team examined the rocks, they found that each nodule generated an electrical potential of up to 1 volt — when they combined together they could generate enough voltage to electrolyze seawater into hydrogen and oxygen, explaining why oxygen levels rise.

“We may have discovered a new natural source of oxygen,” Sweetman said, “We don’t know how widespread it is in time and space, but it’s very intriguing.”

Many questions remain unanswered. For example, the source of energy that creates the current remains a mystery. It’s also unclear whether the reaction occurs continuously, under what conditions, or how this oxygen contributes to maintaining the surrounding ecosystem. “We don’t have all the information yet, but we know it’s happening,” Sweetman says.

In deep-sea environments without sunlight or vegetation, some life forms get their energy from chemicals spewing from hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Some scientists believe life on Earth first emerged at these vents, but these early organisms would have needed a source of oxygen to make food from inorganic compounds. The new discovery suggests that the nodules could have been the oxygen source that helped life begin, Sweetman said.

That interpretation may be unreasonable, Donald Canfield The University of Southern Denmark researcher points out that oxygen is needed to produce the manganese oxides found in nodules. “Oxygenic photosynthesis is a prerequisite for the formation of nodules,” he says. “Therefore, oxygen production by nodules is not an alternative oxygen production equivalent to oxygenic photosynthesis. It is highly unlikely that nodules played a role in oxygenating the Earth.”

but, Ruth Blake The Yale researchers say the idea of ​​producing oxygen in the deep sea remains “exciting” and that further study is needed into the phenomenon and its potential impact on deep-sea ecosystems.

Sweetman’s research was funded in part by The Metals Company (TMC), a deep-sea mining company that is targeting metal nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton field. Patrick Downs TMC’s Downs said he had “serious concerns” about the findings, adding that his company’s analysis suggested Sweetman’s results were due to outside oxygen contamination. “We intend to write a rebuttal,” Downs said in a statement. New Scientist.

But the findings are likely to strengthen calls for a ban on deep-sea mining, backed by many oceanographers who say their understanding of these regions is still evolving. Paul Dando Researchers from the British Marine Biological Society said the paper reinforced the view among deep-sea scientists that “we shouldn’t mine these nodules until we understand their ecology”.

Sweetman said the discovery isn’t necessarily a “say-tale” move for deep-sea mining, but it could limit mining in places where oxygen production is low, and more research is needed to explore how sediments disturbed by the mining process affect oxygen production, he said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Oxygen and carbon ions detected in Venus’s magnetosphere by BepiColombo

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In August 2021, ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft bound for Mercury Performed a second flyby of Venus, providing short-term observations of its guided magnetosphere. The spacecraft detected cold oxygen and carbon ions at a distance of about six planet radii, in an area of ​​the magnetosphere that has never been explored before.

Schematic illustration of planetary material escaping through the sides of Venus's magnetic sheath. The red line and arrow indicate the observation region and direction of BepiColombo as the ions escape (C+,oh+,H+) was observed. Image credit: Thibaut Roger / Europlanet 2024 RI / Hadid other.

Venus was similar to Earth in many ways during its formation, including the presence of large amounts of liquid water.

However, Venus eventually underwent a divergent evolution, leading to major differences between the two planets.

Unlike Earth, Venus is currently a very dry planet with no inherent magnetic field.

The continuous influence of the solar wind on the atmospheres of both planets results in significant atmospheric losses.

Venus' atmosphere is primarily composed of carbon dioxide and small amounts of nitrogen and other trace species, and is affected by interactions with the solar wind, leading to significant ion fluxes.

“This is the first time that positively charged carbon ions have been observed to be ejected from Venus's atmosphere,” said Dr. Lina Hadid, a researcher at the Plasma Physics Institute and CNRS.

“These are heavy ions that typically move slowly, so we're still trying to understand the mechanism.”

“An electrostatic 'wind' may be moving them away from Earth, or they may be accelerated by centrifugal action.”

“Unlike Earth, Venus does not generate an intrinsic magnetic field at its core.”

“Nevertheless, interactions between charged particles emitted by the sun (solar wind) and charged particles in Venus' upper atmosphere create a weak, comet-shaped 'induced magnetosphere' around the planet. ”

“Around the magnetosphere there is a region called the 'magnetic sheath' where the solar wind is slowed down and heated.”

On August 10, 2021, BepiColombo passed Venus to slow down and adjust its course towards its final destination, Mercury.

The probe soared up the long tail of the planet's magnetic sheath, emerging from the nose of the magnetic region closest to the sun.

Over a 90-minute observation period, BepiColombo's mass spectrometer (MSA) and mercury ion analyzer (MIA) will measure the number and mass of charged particles encountered, and detect chemical and Captured information about physical processes. magneto sheath.

“Characterizing the loss of heavy ions on Venus and understanding the escape mechanisms will help us understand how Venus's atmosphere evolved,” said Dr. Dominique Delcourt, principal investigator at MSA and researcher at the Plasma Physics Institute. “This is critical to understanding how water is lost.” .

“This result shows a unique result from measurements made during a flyby of a planet, in which the spacecraft may pass through areas that are generally inaccessible to orbiting spacecraft. '' said Dr. Nicolas Andre, a researcher at the Astrophysical and Planetary Institute.

of study It was published in the magazine natural astronomy.

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LZ Hadid other. BepiColombo's observations of cold oxygen and carbon ions on the side of Venus' induced magnetosphere. Nat Astron, published online on April 12, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02247-2

Source: www.sci.news

Europa’s oxygen production is lower than previously believed

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Using data from Jupiter aurora distribution experiment (JADE) Instrument equipped NASA spacecraft Junoplanetary scientists calculated that the proportion of oxygen produced on Jupiter's icy moon Europa is significantly lower than in most previous studies.

This diagram shows charged particles from Jupiter impacting Europa's surface, splitting frozen water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen molecules. Scientists believe that some of these newly produced oxygen gas may migrate toward the moon's subsurface ocean, as depicted in the inset image. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SWRI / PU.

With an equatorial diameter of 3,100 km (1,940 miles), Europa is the fourth largest of Jupiter's 95 known moons and the smallest of the four Galilean moons.

The moon has an internal liquid ocean and potentially habitable conditions beneath its frozen crust.

Its surface is constantly bombarded with radiation, which breaks down the icy crust into oxygen and hydrogen, most of which is either released from the surface and escapes into space, or remains and forms Europa's atmosphere.

The abundances of these atmospheric gases and ions, and consequently their production rates at the Earth's surface, are inferred primarily from remote sensing observations and are subject to large uncertainties.

“Europa is like an ice ball that slowly loses water in a flowing river,” said Dr. Jamie Zareh, a JADE scientist and researcher at Princeton University.

“However, the flow in this case is a fluid of ionized particles that are swept around Jupiter by Jupiter's unusual magnetic field.”

“When these ionized particles hit Europa, they break up the water ice on the surface molecule by molecule, producing hydrogen and oxygen.”

“In a sense, the entire ice shell is being continuously eroded by the waves of charged particles being launched.”

In the new study, Zarai and colleagues analyzed data from a flyby of Europa conducted by the Juno spacecraft on September 29, 2022. On this flight, the spacecraft flew 353 kilometers (219 miles) above Europa's surface.

They used a JADE instrument to extract abundant amounts of different pickup ions. Pick-up ions are charged particles produced by the destruction of atmospheric neutrals when they collide with high-energy radiation or other particles.

From these data, they calculate that about 12 kg of oxygen is produced every second on Europa's surface.

This is at the lower end of the range of 5 to 1,100 kg per second estimated from previous models.

The results suggest that Europa's surface may have less oxygen than previously thought, meaning that Europa's oceanic habitat is narrower. .

“Flying so close to the Galileo satellite during its long-duration mission allowed us to begin working on a wide range of science, including the unique opportunity to contribute to the study of Europa's habitability,” Juno Principal Investigator said researcher Dr. Scott Bolton. Southwest Research Institute.

“And we're not done yet. More moon approaches and the first exploration of Jupiter's close rings and polar atmosphere are still to come.”

of findings It was published in the magazine natural astronomy.

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JR Zarai other. Production of oxygen by dissociation of Europa's water and ice surfaces. Nat Astron, published online March 4, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02206-x

Source: www.sci.news

There May Be Less Oxygen in Europa’s Ocean, the Essential Fuel for Life, Than Previously Believed

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Jupiter’s moon Europa is covered with an icy shell

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology

Jupiter’s moon Europa may not be as ripe for life as we think. Beneath the icy shell is an ocean of water, but as we know, the frigid moon may lack the oxygen needed to support life.

On Europa, oxygen is produced when radiation hits the surface and breaks down the water ice there into its constituent parts hydrogen and oxygen. Models of this process suggest that oxygen production rates can range from 5 kilograms per second to more than 1000 kilograms per second.

Jamie Zareh Researchers at Princeton University made the new estimate using data from the Juno spacecraft, which flew just 353 kilometers above Europa’s surface in 2022. They discovered that oxygen is only produced at a rate of about 12 kilograms per second at the Earth’s surface. This corresponds to the lower bound of previous estimates.

“In a sense, the shell is like Europa’s lungs. It’s continually producing oxygen,” Zaray says. “That said, we can’t say what happens after the oxygen is produced at the surface. How much of the oxygen makes it into the ocean remains a question.”

But if less oxygen is produced in the first place, less oxygen will enter European waters. As a result, researchers may be less likely to discover organisms similar to those living on Earth.

One of the next steps is to figure out how much of that oxygen can penetrate through the alien moon’s icy shell. NASA’s European Clipper mission, scheduled to launch in October, should help solve that problem. It is hoped that this will allow researchers to measure the thickness of the ice and determine whether elements and compounds useful for life can pass through it.

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  • satellite/
  • extraterrestrial life form

Source: www.newscientist.com

Insights from AI: How Oxygen is Produced on Mars

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Recent breakthroughs in using robotic AI chemists to synthesize oxygen on Mars and create OER catalysts from Martian meteorites mark an important step towards realizing the dream of colonizing Mars. This technology promises to establish oxygen factories on Mars and bring human habitation on Earth closer to reality.Credit: AI Chemistry Group, University of Science and Technology of China

AI chemists have successfully created a catalyst that produces oxygen from a Martian meteorite.

continue to live with immigration to Mars It has often been used as a theme in science fiction. Before these dreams become a reality, humanity faces significant challenges, including a lack of critical resources such as oxygen needed for long-term survival on Mars. However, recent discoveries about water activity on Mars offer new hope for overcoming these obstacles.

Scientists are currently investigating the possibility of splitting water to produce oxygen through electrochemical water oxidation driven by solar energy with the help of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts. . The challenge is to find a way to synthesize these catalysts in situ using Martian materials, rather than having to transport them from Earth, which is costly.

Advances in AI and Mars chemistry

To address this problem, a team led by Professor Luo Yi, Professor Jiang Jun, and Professor Shang Weiwei from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) recently made it possible to: Use a robotic artificial intelligence (AI) chemist to automatically synthesize and optimize his OER catalyst from Martian meteorites.

Their research, in collaboration with the Deep Space Exploration Institute, was recently published in the journal. Natural synthesis.

“AI chemists will innovatively synthesize OER catalysts using Martian materials based on interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Professor Luo Yi, the team’s lead scientist.

In each experimental cycle, AI chemists first use laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as an eye to analyze the elemental composition of Martian ores. The ore is then subjected to a series of pretreatments, including weighing in a solids distribution workstation, preparing a feed solution in a liquid distribution workstation, separating it from the liquid in a centrifugation workstation, and solidifying it in a drying workstation. Masu.

A robotic AI chemist uses a Martian meteorite to create a useful oxygen-producing catalyst.Credit: AI Chemistry Group, University of Science and Technology of China

The resulting metal hydroxide is treated with Nafion adhesive to prepare a working electrode for OER testing in an electrochemical workstation. Test data is sent in real time to the AI ​​chemist’s computational “brain”, machine learning (ML) Processing.

The AI ​​chemist’s “brain” employs quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics simulations on 30,000 high-entropy hydroxides with different elemental ratios and calculates their OER catalytic activity via density functional theory. The simulation data is used to train a neural network model to rapidly predict the activity of catalysts at different elemental compositions.

Finally, through Bayesian optimization, the “brain” predicts the combination of available Martian ores needed to synthesize the optimal OER catalyst.

Achieving breakthrough advances in oxygen production

So far, AI chemists have used five types of Martian meteorites to create successful catalysts under unmanned conditions. This catalyst operates stably for more than 550,000 s at a current density of 10 mA cm.-2 Overvoltage is 445.1 mV. Further tests at -37 degrees Celsius, the temperature of Mars, confirmed that the catalyst could stably produce oxygen without any obvious degradation.

In less than two months, AI chemists completed a complex optimization of a catalyst that would have taken a human chemist 2000 years.

The team is working on turning AI chemist into a common experimental platform for performing various chemical syntheses without human intervention. The paper’s reviewers praised the paper, saying, “This type of research is of widespread interest and is rapidly progressing in the synthesis and discovery of organic/inorganic materials.”

“In the future, humans will be able to establish oxygen factories on Mars with the help of AI chemists,” Zhang said. It takes just 15 hours of sunlight to produce sufficient oxygen concentrations for human survival. “This breakthrough technology brings us one step closer to realizing our dream of living on Mars,” he said.

Reference: “Automatic synthesis of oxygen production catalyst from Martian meteorite by robot AI chemist” Qing Zhu, Yan Huang, Donglai Zhou, Lyuan Zhao, Lulu Guo, Ruyu Yang, Zixu Sun, Man Luo, Fei Zhang, Hengyu Xiao , Xinsheng Tang, Xchun Zhang, Tao Song, Xiang Li, Baochen Chong, Junyi Zhang, Yihan Zhang, Baicheng Zhang, Jiaqi Cao, Guozhen Zhang, Song Wang, Guilin Ye, Wanjun Zhang, Haitao Zhao, Shuang Cong, Huiron Li, Li – Li Ling, Zhe Zhang, Weiwei Shang, Jun Jiang, Yi Luo, November 13, 2023, natural synthesis.
DOI: 10.1038/s44160-023-00424-1

Source: scitechdaily.com