Emma Thomas

Light unrequired: The discovery of dark oxygen

For centuries, it was believed that the production of oxygen relied on one component: photosynthesis (the conversion of light energy into chemical energy). Plants and algae use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, providing the foundation of life on earth as we know it. However, the discovery of ‘dark oxygen’—produced in environments with little to no sunlight— challenges this assumption, proving that oxygen production is not actually limited to photosynthesis.