Hydrothermal vents generate deep-sea currents
Minerals spewed by ocean vents set up redox reactions that allow electrical currents to flow
Hydrothermal vents continuously belch out hot, mineral-enriched water, and are known to support communities of organisms on the ocean floor. Now, researchers in Japan suggest that the chemicals they release can set up redox reactions that cause electrical current to flow naturally around the vents.1 Nearby microbes may directly utilize these free electrons, the researchers say, and they could even have helped synthesise compounds necessary for life to evolve.