Dark Oxygen: Life Without Light

Recent scientific discussions have introduced the concept of "dark oxygen"—a mysterious form of oxygen that is believed to exist in deep-sea environments or extraterrestrial atmospheres, potentially sustaining unknown forms of life. Unlike the O₂ we breathe, dark oxygen is not directly produced by photosynthesis and may play a crucial role in unseen biochemical processes.

We all know what oxygen is. But for those who don’t, oxygen (which has a chemical configuration of O₂) is one of the most fundamental elements on our planet. Without oxygen, it’s safe to say that I won’t be writing this article, and you certainly won’t be reading it. Oxygen allows for intelligent life as we know it. We take it into our bodies and release it through aerobic respiration and it is produced by plants through the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants create their sustenance by using the carbon dioxide and water present in the atmosphere to create glucose, which is their energy source and oxygen, which is a waste product. This process uses sunlight to happen. Although oxygen might simply be a waste product for plants, it certainly isn’t for us. Without oxygen, it’s not just we and all the other species’ on the planet that would die but even Earth would become uninhabitable to anything! 

Without oxygen in our atmosphere the first and instant effects would be us and all other living things that require oxygen to suffocate to our demise. The sky would turn pitch black since oxygen is what scatters light and causes the prism effect which allows us to see color. And if suffocation didn’t kill you, the pain you feel from the bursting of your eardrums due to the low air pressure will, since oxygen makes up 21% of our atmosphere. And that’s not it. Without oxygen present in our atmosphere, all water on Earth would evaporate into nothingness, which means if you survived the suffocation and ear-drum exploding, then you’d probably die of thirst. Another thing is that oxygen also makes up the ozone layer, which has a chemical configuration of O₃. And without oxygen, it will dissipate into nothingness as well. The ozone layer is extremely important because it provides a shield where the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays are prevented from entering the atmosphere. So, with the ozone layer gone, it’s safe to say that you and the Earth’s surface would be fried. 

Now, these are just the instant effects of what would happen if the oxygen in our atmosphere suddenly disappeared, which thankfully will only happen in a billion years (I hope that’s supposed to be reassuring). But there are also short-term effects (minutes to hours) and long-term effects (days to years) that could affect the Earth. The short-term effects include: the extinguishing of all fires due to combustion not being able to take place due to the lack of oxygen, the immediate failing of all engines regardless of commercial or industrial due to internal combustion not being able to take place in the engine. And the collapsing of buildings and structures, usually made of concrete and steel, would collapse since they use oxygen as a binding material. Long term effects include all plant species on Earth dying due to plants needing oxygen for respiration at night and Earth becoming a barren, lifeless rock due to the lack of plants and life. Earth would essentially become like Venus, in which it would resemble a sphere of methane.

Now that you have a rather comprehensive idea of what oxygen is, let’s look at a strange natural phenomenon that has recently been taking scientists by storm called ‘Dark Oxygen’. Dark Oxygen is simply oxygen produced in obscurity, or precisely, in the absence of sunlight. Now, this is puzzling since oxygen can only be produced in the presence of sunlight by plants. Plants take in carbon dioxide and water from the Earth, before using sunlight to convert these constituents into glucose, which is essential for their survival and oxygen, which is actually a waste product. But deep in the ocean, there is no sunlight, and this is particularly mind-blowing when I tell you that dark oxygen has been found well over 13 thousand feet under the ocean. That is 3962 meters and 3.6924 kilometers under the ocean! But the real question is, how does this happen? 

Although it is not exactly known how dark oxygen is formed yet, there are some possible ways that it can be formed. Below is a list of the possible ways that Dark Oxygen may be formed. 

1. Formation in extreme pressure environments
2. Formation in Space through exotic chemical processes
3. Quantum or exotic physics transformations
4. Oxygen locked in unknown chemical structures

These are the four main methods that oxygen can potentially be formed deep in the ocean. Formation Type 1, where oxygen is formed in extreme pressure environments, they can be formed in the interiors of some of the planets in our solar system such as Jupiter or Neptune and even exoplanets that are out of our solar system. Potentially, when oxygen is under extremely high pressures, it could potentially alter its chemical properties to be able to withstand the pressure. This causes oxygen to transfer into a metallic state called ‘Metallic Oxygen’ which forms an unknown oxygen allotrope (allotrope is the property of an element which provides it with the ability to exist in two or more states of matter). 

Formation Type 2, enlists the formation of oxygen in space itself through an unknown yet exotic chemical process. In space, there is a possibility of oxygen existing in an undetected form. These oxygen molecules could potentially be chemically bonded to interstellar dust or even frozen as ice. Other ways of undetectable and unknown techniques of preservation are possible.

Formation Type 3 in which oxygen is formed in quantum or exotic physics transformations. There have been speculations that there is a possibility of oxygen existing in an undetectable quantum state for it to evade light, hence making it ‘Dark Oxygen’. This quantum state is said to prevent interaction with matter of light. 

Formation Type 4 suggests the possibility of oxygen being locked in unknown and complex chemical structures. The possibility of oxygen being chemically bound in still undiscovered substances on different planets is viable but still remains a theory. 

While the fact that the existence of molecular oxygen in space strengthens the theory of oxygen being formed in space through an unknown chemical process, there isn’t enough clear and reliable scientific evidence to back the argument. 

Now, dark oxygen has been found in the ocean where the presence of light is almost impossible, especially at depths of 13,000 feet. For this, there is a process called chemosynthesis, in which oxygen is formed to sustain life for animals located in the deep sea. Chemosynthesis is a biological process in which chemosynthetic bacteria use chemical energy to produce organic compounds in order to survive in various different conditions. In simple terms, all organisms need some form of sunlight to produce their sustenance, but in deep-subsurface ecosystems in which sunlight cannot be found, organisms that inhabit these areas need to find ways to make their food without the use of sunlight. Because of this, chemosynthetic organisms, like chemosynthetic bacteria, are heavily reliant on the oxidation of sulfur, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide and methane as their energy source. The equation for chemosynthesis is carbon dioxide + hydrogen sulfide + oxygen to make glucose + sulfur and water. With the help of carbon dioxide, oxygen and the energy released from oxidizing hydrogen sulfide, chemosynthetic organisms produce glucose, sulfur and water, which are their main energy sources. 

The difference between chemosynthesis and photosynthesis is very evident. While both methods are biological processes to make sustenance, photosynthesis requires sunlight as an energy source but chemosynthesis utilizes chemical energy. Bacteria that use chemosynthesis to produce their food are usually located in the deep sea of hydrogen vents where there is an absence of sunlight; these bacteria are called chemoautotrophs. Such autotrophs can even survive extremely harsh conditions like high temperatures and osmotic pressure. Examples of chemosynthetic bacteria and chemoautotrophs include sulfur-oxidizing gamma proteobacteria, neutrophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria, epsilon proteobacteria, and methanogenic archaea. These are some of the typical chemoautotrophs. 

Dark oxygen was discovered by scientists studying deep underground environments where sunlight cannot reach. It was detected in places like deep aquifers and mines in South Africa, as well as other isolated groundwater systems. Unlike traditional oxygen, which is produced by photosynthesis, dark oxygen forms without any light, likely through chemical reactions involving certain microbes. This discovery surprised scientists, as it challenged the long-held belief that oxygen could only be created through photosynthesis. The existence of dark oxygen opens up new possibilities for understanding life in extreme environments on Earth and potentially on other planets, where sunlight is not available.

In conclusion, dark oxygen is considered to be an extremely game changer discovery in the fields of STEM to scientists as it can open us to a diverse variety of opportunities, leading to more discoveries that can change the way we function. Dark oxygen also potentially unlocks the answer to human survival in currently uninhabitable planets such as Mars and potential exoplanets. While dark oxygen is still a phenomenon that has just been discovered by humans, with more scientific research conducted, there is a possibility of learning more about it.