Oxygen-generating ‘battery rock’ discovery challenges understanding of life on Earth

Scientists have discovered oxygen-generating ‘battery rocks’ on the ocean floor that could challenge long-held beliefs about the origins of life on Earth — and make a strong case against deep-sea mining.  A team led by Professor Andrew Sweetman of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) made the discovery while on fieldwork in the Pacific Ocean. The researchers were scanning the seabed 4,000 metres below the surface, a region known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, for polymetallic nodules. The potato-sized lumps contain metals such as manganese, nickel, and cobalt — key ingredients in lithium-ion batteries. These characteristics have made the nodules…

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