The Secret of Organism Survival in the Earth"s Depths Revealed

SENSATION: Scientists from China have revealed the secret of life without sunlight in the depths of Earth. Microorganisms use energy from tectonic faults, completely disproving the classical principle of all living things' dependence on the Sun. The revolutionary discovery was published in the prestigious scientific journal Science Advances.

A breakthrough study conducted by Professors He Hongping and Zhu Jianxi from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed an amazing survival mechanism in the depths of our planet. Scientists modeled the processes of fault formation in the Earth's crust and discovered that when cracks form in rocks, free radicals are released that can split water molecules. This process leads to the formation of hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide, creating a powerful redox gradient in fault zones.

The researchers found that this gradient triggers a chain of reactions involving iron contained in water and rocks. Under various conditions, iron can transition from a divalent state (Fe²⁺) to a trivalent state (Fe³⁺) and back. These chemical transformations support vital biochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur, providing microorganisms with everything necessary for existence in complete darkness.

Particularly impressive was the scale of energy potential: during earthquakes and other tectonic processes, the amount of hydrogen released can exceed the indicators of other known mechanisms by 100,000 times. This makes tectonic faults one of the most powerful energy sources for the underground biosphere.

The discovery by Chinese scientists not only changes our understanding of Earth's deep biosphere but also opens new horizons in the search for extraterrestrial life. According to the study authors, similar energy mechanisms may exist on other Earth-like planets, which significantly expands the potential habitats for living organisms in the Universe.