This undated handout picture released by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) on January 20, 2026, shows Professor Andrew Sweetman of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) working with one of the new landers specially designed to probe how polymetallic nodules could be producing oxygen in the darkest depths of the ocean, at the SAMS in Oban, Scotland. A team of scientists announced on January 20, 2026 they have developed new deep-sea landers specifically to test their contentious discovery that metallic rocks at the bottom of the ocean are producing "dark oxygen". If a previously unknown source of oxygen has always been lurking in Earth's depths, it would represent a remarkable revelation that would call into question long-held assumptions about the origins of life on our planet. (Photo by Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) / AFP via Getty Images) / - NO Editorial use - NO Marketing campaign / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS