(CNN) — A startling discovery made public in July that metallic rocks were apparently producing oxygen on the Pacific Ocean’s seabed, where no light can penetrate, was a scientific bombshell.

Tom Howarth is a Newsweek reporter based in Bristol, U.K. His focus is reporting on nature and science. He covers climate change, biodiversity, extreme weather, zoonotic diseases and more.

(CNN) — A startling discovery made public in July that metallic rocks were apparently producing oxygen on the Pacific Ocean’s seabed, where no light can penetrate, was a scientific bombshell.