The shifting of geological faults in the subsurface of the Earth forged the oxygen, a study suggests.
thanks to the advent of photosynthesis, the process through which some of the first life forms transformed sunlight into energy. It was only coincidence, scientists say, that one of the products of this process was oxygen, which would completely transform the planet, creating the conditions for increasingly complex forms of life.
“While previous research has suggested that small amounts of hydrogen peroxide and other oxidants can be formed by stressing or crushing of rocks in the absence of oxygen, this is the first study to show the vital importance of hot temperatures in maximizing hydrogen peroxide generation,” says Jordan Stone, a primary study author and a researcher at Newcastle University, in aAccording to the researchers, the constant shifting of the Earth’s crust creates cracks and crevices throughout the...
Although these temperatures may seem inhospitable to life, they actually overlap with the ideal of conditions of a type of microbe called a“This research shows that defects on crushed rock and minerals can behave very differently to how you would expect more ‘perfect’ mineral surfaces to react,” says Jon Telling, a senior study author and a professor at Newcastle University, in a press release.
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