Back to Search
Start Over
An abiotic source of Archean hydrogen peroxide and oxygen that pre-dates oxygenic photosynthesis.
- Source :
- Nature Communications; 11/16/2021, Vol. 12, p1-9, 9p
- Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- The evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis is a pivotal event in Earth’s history because the O<subscript>2</subscript> released fundamentally changed the planet’s redox state and facilitated the emergence of multicellular life. An intriguing hypothesis proposes that hydrogen peroxide (H<subscript>2</subscript>O<subscript>2</subscript>) once acted as the electron donor prior to the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis, but its abundance during the Archean would have been limited. Here, we report a previously unrecognized abiotic pathway for Archean H<subscript>2</subscript>O<subscript>2</subscript> production that involves the abrasion of quartz surfaces and the subsequent generation of surface-bound radicals that can efficiently oxidize H<subscript>2</subscript>O to H<subscript>2</subscript>O<subscript>2</subscript> and O<subscript>2</subscript>. We propose that in turbulent subaqueous environments, such as rivers, estuaries and deltas, this process could have provided a sufficient H<subscript>2</subscript>O<subscript>2</subscript> source that led to the generation of biogenic O<subscript>2</subscript>, creating an evolutionary impetus for the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20411723
- Volume :
- 12
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Nature Communications
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 153882438
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26916-2