Other than light, what else could fuel life? Chemosynthesis - Evolution deprived of the Sun's energy

Other than light, what else could fuel life? Chemosynthesis.

"Chemosynthesis is the biological conversion of one or more carbon molecules (usually carbon dioxide or methane) and nutrients into organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic molecules (e.g. hydrogen gas, hydrogen sulfide) or methane as a source of energy, rather than sunlight, as in photosynthesis." In this video, it's Hydrogen sulfide chemosynthesis: CO2 + O2 + 4{H2S} → CH2O + 4{S} + 3{H2O}

There could be another source of life besides sunlight and photosynthesis as we normally see on Earth.

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Chemosynthesis on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemosynthesis

Horizon "The Lost World of Lake Vostok":
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2000/vostok.shtml
Lake Vostok on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Vostok

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Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• QuarksAreStrange
• Life
• Light
• Evolution
• Earth
• Chemosynthesis
• Photosynthesis
• Sun
• Biology
• Cave

[bubonicnate]

Where have you been?

[QuarksAreStrange]

(1/2)

That is an excellent question Nate - I'll give it a thumb up :P

A: I've had a challenging year: reflecting on myself, redefining who I want to be and how I ought to act, react. Some people getting out of my life, new ones coming into it. Then I moved to a new apartment... that kind of year. Bottom line, I needed time to create some new goals for my life. Meanwhile, the desire to "broadcast myself" (as YT would say) anywhere online was low.

[QuarksAreStrange]

(2/2)

The other day I felt like making a video so here it is I feel like making more. My online presence should grow back eventually. Im sure it will.

[M76Q5]

Very good video. However, these animals need O2 for the chemosynthesis reaction:

CO2 + O2 + 4{H2S} → CH2O + 4{S} + 3{H2O}

This oxygen comes from outside the cave and is made by photosynthesis, so these animals do need light to survive. they just aren't in that light.

[Rueyful]

@M76Q5 What if these animals used nitrogen as protons acceptor instead of oxygen ?

[AinokeA365]

I'm already thinking of moria from LOTR

[drche420]

@SpadesNeil

Ignoring his "point" was intentional. Tautologies are useless, and saying "people can't see without the sun" would be 1) true but obvious or 2) false due to technology.

There is no "point" to making an obvious statement that boils down to "people need the sun to see", especially since its false.

[SpadesNeil]

@drche420 Of course, I could be missing something.

[SpadesNeil]

@drche420 I think you entirely missed his point.

[drche420]

@drche420

Does the fact that we are not snakes somehow refute my point? No.

You = #FAIL

[TheBullShitaki]

@drche420 Are we reptiles, no. Are we snakes? no. XD and i go back on that, unless they find a new way to keep plants alive.

[drche420]

@TheBullShitaki

Its not difficult to see without the sun. Snakes do this.

[drche420]

Science #FTW