Emil will talk about the microbial production of molecular oxygen (O2) in the absence of light and its relevance in apparently anoxic natural environments. Together with international collaborators he found evidence of the in-situ production and consumption of O2 in diverse ecosystems across large temporal and spatial scales. This “dark oxygen production” could originate from the microbial dismutation of nitric oxide and/or chlorite, microbial processes that were so far not deemed to be important on a global scale. The discovery challenges our current understanding of the evolution, ecology, and biogeochemistry of the biogeosphere, suggesting aerobic niches in many environments that were thought to be anoxic. 

*Refreshments: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM (Atrium)