595: Dark Oxygen | CIA Deep Sea Secret Could Trigger the Next Extinction Event (STRIPPED)

Speaker 4 You ever hear about the 1950s flight that vanished into thin air over Lake Michigan?

Speaker 5 No wreckage, no trace, nothing?

Speaker 6 Or the theory that Robin Hood might have actually been real, sneaking through underground tunnels to rob the rich?

Speaker 11 Yeah, same here.

Speaker 15 On Expedition Unknown, a podcast from Discovery, Josh Gates travels the globe to uncover the truth behind some of history's most bizarre and iconic legends.

Speaker 24 With direct audio from the hit TV show, you'll join him on authentic roughshot adventures.

Speaker 31 From diving into the disappearance of Amelia Earhart to chasing Captain Morgan's treasure through Panama.

Speaker 35 And the stories just keep coming.

Speaker 41 Like uncovering our ancient origins in Africa, diving into the Bermuda Triangle's most baffling disappearances, and chasing lost treasure tied to a legendary warrior queen who nearly defeated the Roman Empire.

Speaker 49 If you're drawn to real-world mysteries, historical anomalies, and stories that blur the line between legend and fact, this show will pull you in.

Speaker 55 Gates brings the boots-on-the-ground investigation that makes these tales come alive.

Speaker 58 Listen to Expedition Unknown wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 16 Two and a half miles beneath the Pacific Ocean is total darkness.

Speaker 21 No sunlight reaches there.

Speaker 61 No plants grow there.

Speaker 63 So when oxygen sensors on the ocean floor came back positive, the scientists thought it was an equipment failure.

Speaker 53 They tried again.

Speaker 64 Same result.

Speaker 21 Oxygen was being created not by plants or sea life, it was coming from rocks.

Speaker 69 Ancient metallic rocks that generate electricity, they produce enough current to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

Speaker 63 They called it dark oxygen.

Speaker 68 This changes everything we know about the Earth's early atmosphere and about the evolution of life and about where we might find alien life.

Speaker 69 In 2024, the dark oxygen study stunned the scientific community.

Speaker 78 Researchers from dozens of fields and hundreds of organizations scrambled to understand the implications.

Speaker 80 But one organization wasn't surprised.

Speaker 83 They've known about these electric rocks since the 1960s.

Speaker 64 They even mined them in the 1970s.

Speaker 63 That organization is the CIA.

Speaker 76 The Clarion-Clipperton Zone, or CCZ, looks like an underwater desert.

Speaker 83 It stretches across 1.7 million square miles of the Pacific.

Speaker 60 It's bigger than India, almost two miles down.

Speaker 86 Cold, dark, pressure that would crush any living organism.

Speaker 87 Or so we thought.

Speaker 18 In 1968, a Soviet submarine carrying nuclear missiles sank in the Pacific.

Speaker 75 The Soviets couldn't find it.

Speaker 18 The U.S.

Speaker 87 government wanted that sub.

Speaker 86 The CIA launched Project Azorian to locate the sub.

Speaker 77 They needed a cover story.

Speaker 66 Deep sea mining fit perfectly.

Speaker 68 Eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes built a massive ship.

Speaker 80 They called it the Glommer Explorer.

Speaker 79 The public thought it was a mining vessel.

Speaker 80 It wasn't.

Speaker 63 Its only task, recover that Soviet sub.

Speaker 82 The crew spent months searching for it.

Speaker 83 On March 8th, 1974, they found it.

Speaker 60 But they also found something else, something far more important.

Speaker 26 The seabed was covered with strange metal-rich rocks called polymetallic nodules, each one about the size of a softball.

Speaker 61 To maintain cover, they actually studied the nodules.

Speaker 71 They weren't expecting to find anything unusual.

Speaker 90 That's when a simple recovery mission became a scientific breakthrough.

Speaker 91 These aren't ordinary rocks.

Speaker 80 They're ancient.

Speaker 85 A single nodule takes millions of years to form.

Speaker 35 Some are older than the oldest forests on Earth, older than the dinosaurs.

Speaker 78 They've been sitting on the ocean floor for millions of years, silently generating electricity.

Speaker 50 Each nodule generates about a volt, not much on its own.

Speaker 70 But they don't exist alone.

Speaker 22 They form vast fields.

Speaker 75 Billions of nodules clustered together, connected through seawater, like batteries wired in series.

Speaker 80 Their power multiplies.

Speaker 22 The CCZ has about 21 billion tons of nodules.

Speaker 93 This could generate about 20 megawatts, enough to power a small city.

Speaker 61 Unlimited clean energy.

Speaker 94 Fast forward to 2022, marine biologist Andrew Sweedman was studying seafloor ecosystems.

Speaker 64 His sensors detected oxygen where none should exist.

Speaker 86 Not just trace amounts.

Speaker 63 The levels tripled in just two days.

Speaker 60 His team confirmed the nodules generated electricity, strong enough to split water molecules, to produce oxygen in total darkness.

Speaker 82 The scientific community was shocked.

Speaker 75 The Pentagon wasn't.

Speaker 95 The CIA kept their research classified for decades.

Speaker 84 And the reason was simple.

Speaker 67 These metallic rocks have electromagnetic properties useful for weapon systems, for power generation, maybe even gravity manipulation.

Speaker 82 But there's a bigger mystery.

Speaker 63 Oxygen, water, and electricity are fundamental to life.

Speaker 78 These nodules might be the original source of Earth's oxygen.

Speaker 75 the original spark for life.

Speaker 71 And if they exist on Earth, they exist everywhere else.

Speaker 61 On frozen moons with underground oceans, on distant planets orbiting distant stars.

Speaker 76 NASA knows this.

Speaker 85 They're already redesigning their alien life detection instruments.

Speaker 82 Their next mission to Europa won't just look for microbes.

Speaker 69 It will look for electric rocks, for dark oxygen produced without sunlight, on a moon hundreds of millions of miles from Earth.

Speaker 4 You ever hear about the 1950s flight that vanished into thin air over Lake Michigan?

Speaker 5 No wreckage, no trace, nothing?

Speaker 6 Or the theory that Robin Hood might have actually been real, sneaking through underground tunnels to rob the rich?

Speaker 11 Yeah, same here.

Speaker 15 On Expedition Unknown, a podcast from Discovery, Josh Gates travels the globe to uncover the truth behind some of history's most bizarre and iconic legends.

Speaker 28 With direct audio from the hit TV show, you'll join him on authentic roughshot adventures, from diving into the disappearance of Amelia Earhart to chasing Captain Morgan's treasure through Panama.

Speaker 41 And the stories just keep coming, like uncovering our ancient origins in Africa, diving into the Bermuda Triangle's most baffling disappearances, and chasing lost treasure tied to a legendary warrior queen who nearly defeated the Roman Empire.

Speaker 49 If you're drawn to real-world mysteries, historical anomalies, and stories that blur the line between legend and fact, this show will pull you in.

Speaker 55 Gate Springs, the boots-on-the-ground investigation that makes these tales come alive.

Speaker 58 Listen to Expedition Unknown wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 93 This episode of the Y Files is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

Speaker 96 Today, you chose to hit play on this podcast.

Speaker 97 Smart Choice. Progressive loves to help people make smart choices.

Speaker 99 That's why they offer a tool called AutoQuote Explorer that allows you to compare your progressive car insurance quote with rates from other companies.

Speaker 101 So you save time in the research and can enjoy savings when you choose the best rate for you.

Speaker 102 Give it a try after this episode at Progressive.com.

Speaker 69 The aggressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, not available in all states or situations.

Speaker 50 Prices vary based on how you buy.

Speaker 4 You ever hear about the 1950s flight that vanished into thin air over Lake Michigan?

Speaker 5 No wreckage, no trace, nothing?

Speaker 7 Or the theory that Robin Hood might have actually been real, sneaking through underground tunnels to rob the rich?

Speaker 11 Yeah, same here.

Speaker 15 On Expedition Unknown, a podcast from Discovery, Josh Gates travels the globe to uncover the truth behind some of history's most bizarre and iconic legends.

Speaker 28 With direct audio from the hit TV show, you'll join him on authentic roughshot adventures, from diving into the disappearance of Amelia Earhart to chasing Captain Morgan's treasure through Panama.

Speaker 41 And the stories just keep coming, like uncovering our ancient origins in Africa, diving into the Bermuda Triangle's most baffling disappearances, and chasing lost treasure tied to a legendary warrior queen who nearly defeated the Roman Empire.

Speaker 49 If you're drawn to real-world mysteries, historical anomalies, and stories that blur the line between legend and fact, this show will pull you in.

Speaker 55 Gates brings the boots-on-the-ground investigation that makes these tales come alive.

Speaker 58 Listen to Expedition Unknown wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 93 This episode of the Y Files is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

Speaker 96 Today, you chose to hit play on this podcast.

Speaker 97 Smart Choice. Progressive loves to help people make smart choices.

Speaker 99 That's why they offer a tool called AutoQuote Explorer that allows you to compare your progressive car insurance quote with rates from other companies.

Speaker 101 So you save time on the research and can enjoy savings when you choose the best rate for you.

Speaker 102 Give it a try after this episode at Progressive.com.

Speaker 69 The aggressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, not available in all states or situations.

Speaker 49 Prices vary based on how you buy.

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Speaker 82 Europa, Jupiter's sixth moon, is covered in ice.

Speaker 64 It's 390 million miles from Earth.

Speaker 89 It's also the best place in our solar system to look for alien life.

Speaker 91 Why?

Speaker 76 Because under the ice is a vast dark ocean.

Speaker 85 It's been there for billions of years.

Speaker 92 It's 100 miles deep, 10 times deeper than any ocean on Earth.

Speaker 89 But does Europa have polymetallic nodules on its ocean floor?

Speaker 88 The answer is almost certainly yes. Until recently, scientists thought finding life on Europa was a long shot.

Speaker 28 No sunlight penetrates the ice.

Speaker 67 There's no photosynthesis, no oxygen.

Speaker 82 But the dark oxygen discovery changes everything.

Speaker 67 Europa orbits Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.

Speaker 69 Jupiter's massive gravity creates enormous tidal forces.

Speaker 23 It squeezes the moon, makes it expand and contract.

Speaker 78 This creates friction.

Speaker 32 Friction creates heat.

Speaker 26 Heat keeps Europa's ocean liquid.

Speaker 32 These conditions are perfect for mineral formation on the sea floor.

Speaker 80 But there's more.

Speaker 88 Radiation from Jupiter bombards Europa's surface ice.

Speaker 75 This triggers radialysis, radiation splitting water molecules.

Speaker 66 This works in liquid water and solid ice.

Speaker 92 In 2024, Russian scientists proved radiation creates oxygen in Antarctica's ice.

Speaker 23 And if it happens in Antarctica, it happens on Europa and on Enceladus, Saturn's sixth-largest moon, and on countless other ice-covered moons and planets throughout the universe.

Speaker 71 This changes the math for alien life.

Speaker 83 Our galaxy has about 40 billion Earth-sized planets in the Goldilocks zone.

Speaker 80 Not too hot, hot, not too cold.

Speaker 10 Places where water stays liquid, where plants could grow, where sunlight could produce oxygen.

Speaker 67 But that only counts planets where photosynthesis works.

Speaker 92 If we include worlds with dark oxygen, that number jumps from billions of planets that could contain life to trillions.

Speaker 75 The dead zones of the universe could be filled with life.

Speaker 89 NASA's developing equipment to detect electricity on distant worlds, to find metallic distributions on alien sea floors, to detect electromagnetic fields from natural batteries.

Speaker 21 The James Webb Space Telescope can't see these things directly, but it can analyze atmospheres, detect chemical imbalances that might indicate dark oxygen at work.

Speaker 62 Polymetallic nodules don't just produce electricity. They split water.
They generate oxygen.

Speaker 50 And on Earth, wherever there's energy, water, and oxygen, there's life.

Speaker 83 But any organisms evolved to use dark oxygen and this type of energy would be unlike anything we'd we'd recognize.

Speaker 85 They wouldn't use DNA as we know it.

Speaker 49 They would form a shadow biosphere, hiding in plain sight for billions of years.

Speaker 61 We've been searching for alien life at all the wrong places, looking at planets bathed in sunlight, planets like Earth.

Speaker 84 But we missed something obvious.

Speaker 80 Most of space is dark and cold, far from stars.

Speaker 82 If dark oxygen exists throughout the universe, life could be almost anywhere.

Speaker 60 So we're probably not alone.

Speaker 80 And we probably never were.

Speaker 104 When biologists discovered life around deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977, they had to rewrite biology textbooks.

Speaker 94 Here were creatures thriving without sunlight.

Speaker 61 Tube worms with no mouths or digestive systems.

Speaker 12 Blind shrimp.

Speaker 75 ghost-white crabs.

Speaker 69 a whole ecosystem powered by heat and chemicals, not light.

Speaker 60 But the life around polymetallic nodules is even stranger.

Speaker 85 In 2023, scientists completed the most extensive survey of the Clarion-Clipperton zone.

Speaker 104 They found over 5,000 different species living in the area, and 90% of those species were completely new discoveries.

Speaker 88 On the barren sea floor, in pitch darkness, two miles down, an ecosystem as diverse as anything on the surface.

Speaker 79 This wasn't just a few hardy creatures surviving in a harsh environment.

Speaker 43 This was a complex, thriving ecosystem.

Speaker 83 Many species were found living directly on the nodules themselves, drawn to the oxygen and the electricity.

Speaker 88 Specialized microbes had evolved to harness the electrical charge directly.

Speaker 13 They don't eat organic matter like most bacteria.

Speaker 60 They eat electrons.

Speaker 43 They're called electrotrophs.

Speaker 71 And this isn't science fiction.

Speaker 77 These microbes exist on Earth right now.

Speaker 86 Scientists have found them on shipwrecks, near undersea cables, and around the nodules.

Speaker 87 They represent an alternative path for life itself.

Speaker 21 While plants evolve to capture sunlight, these organisms evolve to capture electricity.

Speaker 54 If this sounds strange, consider how vast and deep the ocean is.

Speaker 71 It covers 65% of the Earth's surface.

Speaker 21 It's the largest habitable zone on the planet.

Speaker 50 And for billions of years, it's been mostly isolated from the surface.

Speaker 50 Life would evolve evolve differently, adapting to survive enormous pressure, to survive without light, to use electricity as food.

Speaker 86 Some scientists believe the nodules aren't scattered randomly.

Speaker 75 They form networks, patterns.

Speaker 21 The distribution resembles a global circuit, like a vast computer network spanning the entire ocean floor.

Speaker 70 The nodules generate electromagnetic fields.

Speaker 63 The fields interact.

Speaker 70 They create a web of electrical connections, almost like neurons in a brand.

Speaker 66 Scientists call it the seafloor neural network.

Speaker 13 It's a controversial theory, but the evidence is compelling.

Speaker 61 Satellite measurements show subtle electromagnetic patterns emanating from the deep ocean, patterns that shift and pulse, that respond to changes in the Earth's magnetic field.

Speaker 75 Some scientists even link the nodules to maritime mysteries like the Bermuda Triangle, areas where ships and planes vanish without explanation.

Speaker 89 Areas that happen to align with unusual concentrations of nodules and strong electromagnetic anomalies.

Speaker 68 Now, most researchers dismiss this as pseudoscience, but the U.S.

Speaker 27 Navy has documented navigation equipment failures in these regions.

Speaker 61 Compasses spinning, electronics malfunctioning, the same effects you'd expect from powerful electromagnetic fields.

Speaker 101 Now, whether you believe these fringe theories or not, one thing is certain.

Speaker 88 These ancient electric rocks have been part of Earth's system for billions of years. They've influenced our planet in countless ways.

Speaker 90 And we're now destroying them.

Speaker 28 Deep-sea mining companies are already harvesting millions of tons of nodules.

Speaker 85 They're destroying in days what took millions of years to form.

Speaker 59 This could disrupt electrical fields essential to deep ocean life, or essential to all life.

Speaker 59 If the nodules produce oxygen, and they do, a sudden change in their activity could alter ocean chemistry in a way that could trigger an ecological collapse.

Speaker 80 It's happened before.

Speaker 67 The mining companies know this.

Speaker 75 They're doing it anyway.

Speaker 4 You ever hear about the 1950s flight that vanished into thin air over Lake Michigan?

Speaker 5 No wreckage, no trace, nothing?

Speaker 7 Or the theory that Robin Hood might have actually been real, sneaking through underground tunnels to rob the rich?

Speaker 11 Yeah, same here.

Speaker 15 On Expedition Unknown, a podcast from Discovery, Josh Gates travels the globe to uncover the truth behind some of history's most bizarre and iconic legends.

Speaker 28 With direct audio from the hit TV show, you'll join him on authentic roughshot adventures, from diving into the disappearance of Amelia Earhart to chasing Captain Morgan's treasure through Panama.

Speaker 41 And the stories just keep coming, like uncovering our ancient origins in Africa, diving into the Bermuda Triangle's most baffling disappearances, and chasing lost treasure tied to a legendary warrior queen who nearly defeated the Roman Empire.

Speaker 49 If you're drawn to real-world mysteries, historical anomalies, and stories that blur the line between legend and fact, this show will pull you in.

Speaker 55 Gate Springs, the boots-on-the-ground investigation that makes these tales come alive.

Speaker 58 Listen to Expedition Unknown wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 93 This episode of the Y Files is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

Speaker 96 Today, you chose to hit play on this podcast.

Speaker 97 Smart Choice. Progressive loves to help people make smart choices.

Speaker 99 That's why they offer a tool called AutoQuote Explorer that allows you to compare your progressive car insurance quote with rates from other companies.

Speaker 101 So you save time on the research and can enjoy savings when you choose the best rate for you.

Speaker 102 Give it a try after this episode at Progressive.com.

Speaker 69 The aggressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, not available in all states or situations.

Speaker 50 Prices vary based on how you buy.

Speaker 4 You ever hear about the 1950s flight that vanished into thin air over Lake Michigan?

Speaker 5 No wreckage, no trace, nothing?

Speaker 7 Or the theory that Robin Hood might have actually been real, sneaking through underground tunnels to rob the rich?

Speaker 11 Yeah, same here.

Speaker 15 On Expedition Unknown, a podcast from Discovery, Josh Gates travels the globe to uncover the truth behind some of history's most bizarre and iconic legends.

Speaker 24 With direct audio from the hit TV show, you'll join him on authentic roughshot adventures.

Speaker 31 from diving into the disappearance of Amelia Earhart to chasing Captain Morgan's treasure through Panama.

Speaker 35 And the stories just keep coming.

Speaker 41 Like uncovering our ancient origins in Africa, diving into the Bermuda Triangle's most baffling disappearances, and chasing lost treasure tied to a legendary warrior queen who nearly defeated the Roman Empire.

Speaker 49 If you're drawn to real-world mysteries, historical anomalies, and stories that blur the line between legend and fact, this show will pull you in.

Speaker 55 Gates brings the boots-on-the-ground investigation that makes these tales come alive.

Speaker 58 Listen to Expedition Unknown wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 93 This episode of the Y Files is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

Speaker 96 Today you chose to hit play on this podcast.

Speaker 97 Smart Choice. Progressive loves to help people make smart choices.

Speaker 90 That's why they offer a tool called AutoQuote Explorer that allows you to compare your progressive car insurance quote with rates from other companies so you save time on the research and can enjoy savings when you choose the best rate for you.

Speaker 102 Give it a try after this episode at Progressive.com.

Speaker 69 The aggressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, not available in all states or situations.

Speaker 50 Prices vary based on how you buy.

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Speaker 82 The discovery of dark oxygen forces us to reconsider what we know about life on Earth and beyond.

Speaker 81 But let's clean up some of the science.

Speaker 87 Here are the established facts.

Speaker 61 Scientists have confirmed that polymetallic nodules on the deep sea floor produce electric currents.

Speaker 70 These currents are strong enough to split water molecules and release oxygen.

Speaker 87 This happens without sunlight, without photosynthesis.

Speaker 53 It happens in total darkness.

Speaker 95 This process has been verified in laboratory settings.

Speaker 88 The voltage has been measured.

Speaker 104 The oxygen production has been documented.

Speaker 64 The phenomenon is real.

Speaker 11 The nodules contain valuable minerals, manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper.

Speaker 15 They formed over millions of years in a process so slow, it's almost impossible to comprehend.

Speaker 104 One centimeter can take several million years to develop.

Speaker 17 The ecosystems around these nodules are diverse.

Speaker 73 They contain thousands of species previously unknown to science.

Speaker 88 Many evolved to live directly on or around the nodules.

Speaker 104 But this is where certainty ends and scientific debate begins.

Speaker 105 Some researchers believe dark oxygen played a crucial crucial role in the Earth's early atmosphere, maybe even before photosynthesis evolved.

Speaker 45 They point to geological evidence that shows oxygen appearing in bursts, regardless of what types of plants, if any, existed at that time.

Speaker 106 Others feel that dark oxygen, while fascinating, is a minor contributor.

Speaker 8 Most of Earth's oxygen still comes from plants and other photosynthetic organisms like algae and bacteria.

Speaker 91 Scientists also disagree about the ocean floor neural network theory.

Speaker 82 Some see evidence of patterns consistent with a global system, but skeptics say they're seeing patterns where none exists.

Speaker 85 Then there is the space connection.

Speaker 17 If dark oxygen exists on Earth, it probably exists elsewhere.

Speaker 67 On Europa, on Enceladus, on countless worlds throughout the universe.

Speaker 59 This changes our search for extraterrestrial life.

Speaker 76 We're no longer limited to the narrow band of planets where photosynthesis could occur.

Speaker 83 The habitable zone expands dramatically.

Speaker 91 So dramatically that any planet or any moon at any distance from any star could harbor life.

Speaker 104 Even rogue planets and asteroids in between systems, there could be life present.

Speaker 50 Then there's the environmental implications.

Speaker 108 How dare you!

Speaker 85 The mining industry says we have an urgent need for these minerals.

Speaker 87 Cobalt, nickel, and manganese are essential for batteries, for renewable energy, for storage to power electric cars, homes, even aircraft.

Speaker 28 They argue that deep-sea mining is less destructive than land-based mining.

Speaker 105 No forests are cleared, no rivers are polluted, no communities are displaced.

Speaker 87 Well, that's not exactly true, is it?

Speaker 61 Regulations were just passed, and mining has begun just within the last couple of months.

Speaker 74 Now, once harvested, these ancient formations can't be replaced.

Speaker 83 Scientists have documented the test mining sites from the 1970s.

Speaker 65 Even after 50 years, the damage is there.

Speaker 93 The seafloor will heal, but it will take millions of years.

Speaker 74 Now, maybe mining the seafloor is the right decision. Maybe it's cleaner and safer than surface mining.

Speaker 61 Maybe these electrified, oxygen-producing rocks can be removed without repercussions.

Speaker 85 Or maybe disrupting this network could lead to an ecological disaster.

Speaker 80 We really don't know.

Speaker 29 In Earth's history, there have been five extinction events.

Speaker 83 All of them coincide with changes in ocean chemistry.

Speaker 24 And two of those extinction events were caused specifically by lack of oxygen in the ocean.

Speaker 21 We're gambling with an ecosystem we barely understand.

Speaker 53 But we do know that when the earth gets sick, it heals itself.

Speaker 80 And it doesn't care who gets hurt in the process.

Speaker 84 Bacteria, plants, animals, dinosaurs, 99% of all species that have ever existed are extinct.

Speaker 82 And if we're not careful, we could trigger the sixth global extinction event. And if we do, the next extinct species will be us.

Speaker 61 Thanks for listening or watching the Y Files stripped, where I get right to the point, right to the story, and then right to the truth.

Speaker 71 But if you want me to expand this into a longer episode, with Hecklefish, let me know and I'll do that for you.

Speaker 93 And like most topics we cover on the Y Files, today's was recommended by you.

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Speaker 50 In fact, these stripped episodes are designed to be podcasts, where we try to use as much sound and music so we can immerse you in the story.

Speaker 85 But if you're listening on a podcast platform, keep in mind there is a video version that contains some images we talked about and other fun visuals.

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Speaker 71 If you need more Wi-Files in your life, check out our Discord. There are thousands of people on there.
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