COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Researchers Use 'Seafloor Gardens' to Switch on Light Bulb
Description: One of the key necessities for life on our planet is electricity. Everything from shrubs to ants to people harnesses energy via the transfer of electrons -- the basis of electricity. Some experts think that the very first cell-like organisms on Earth channeled electricity from the seafloor using bubbling, chimney-shaped structures, also known as chemical gardens. In a new study, researchers report growing their own tiny chimneys in a laboratory and using them to power a light bulb. The findings demonstrate that the underwater structures may have indeed given an electrical boost to Earth's very first life forms. [Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory]
URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4679
Availability: Full Text
Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Publish Date: 8/5/2015
Reading Level: Basic
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