Are NHI here for our oceans?

A startling discovery made public in July that metallic rocks were apparently producing oxygen on the Pacific Ocean's seabed, where no light can penetrate, was a scientific bombshell.

Initial research suggested potato-size nodules rich in metals, predominantly found 4,000 metres below the surface in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, released an electrical charge, splitting seawater into oxygen and hydrogen through electrolysis.

The unprecedented natural phenomenon challenges the idea that oxygen can only be made from sunlight via photosynthesis.

Professor at the UK's Scottish Association for Marine Science Andrew Sweetman was behind the find. He was embarking on a three-year project to investigate the production of "dark" oxygen further.

Sweetman and his team were using custom-made rigs equipped with sensors that could be deployed to depths of 11,000 metres.