No. of Recommendations: 1
Sure. That's the theory. However, the basis of life on this planet is photosynthesis. Without that, this would be a dead world. That requires illumination (sun light, preferably). We are talking about an era when we don't have this lovely fusion reactor emitting broad-spectrum light at the center of our solar system.Humans don't use sunlight directly. We just eat plants and animals that eat plants. And plants use sunlight.
But, even on Earth now, there are creatures that live near "black smokers" at the bottom of the sea where sunlight doesn't reach. These creatures might not taste great, and I'm not even sure they wouldn't be poisonous to us, but even if they aren't, I'm sure we could engineer similar creatures that
were edible in the not too distant future.
See
encyclopedie-environnement.org - Black smokers ecosystemsBlack smokers’ ecosystems
- Pierre Vauclare, Institute of Structural Biology, Grenoble, France
Covering nearly two thirds of the Earth’s surface, the abyssal regions of the oceans have long been considered as spaces totally devoid of life due to the absence of light. However, the discovery in 1977 of the existence of hydrothermal vents, called black smokers, located on the Galápagos Ridge, totally modified our knowledge of ocean biology, but also our vision of the origin of life. This fascinating ecosystem is located along the mid-ocean ridges (Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans), between 700 metres and more than 4000 metres deep, in areas with high volcanic activity. These sites then produce fluids with very high temperatures up to 410°C. It is in contact with cold oceanic water (< 4°C), that dissolved metals precipitate with sulphides to form the complex mineral structures known as black smokers. However, despite particularly hostile environmental conditions (lack of light, high temperatures and extreme pressures that can exceed 420 kg/cm2), these hydrothermal springs shelter, in their vicinity, an exceptional marine ecosystem among the most productive. This discovery has generated numerous exploration campaigns that have led to the discovery of new species known as extremophiles with high endemism rates. Indeed, clam colonies measuring nearly 30 centimetres (Calyptogena magnifica and Bathymodiolus thermophilus) coexist with white crabs, shrimps (Rimicaris exoculata) and giant worms up to 2 metres long (Riftia pachyptila). Like any ecosystem, those of the hydrothermal springs of the abyss exchange matter and energy. At the base of the food chain of this complex ecosystem are very diverse thermophilic microbial communities (bacteria and archaea) with sulfo-oxidizing properties. Indeed, thanks to the energy not of light (photosynthesis [1]), but of the oxidation of hydrogen sulphides (H2S) which are rejected by hydrothermal fluids (chemosynthesis [2]), these microorganisms synthesize carbonaceous molecules. These are the primary source of organic matter essential for the development of the many animal communities living in this extreme environment, which is not conducive to life.
