I get that the sun is earth's main energy source etc etc, but I seriously feel geothermal and the ocean do not get enough credit.
U know ... The origin of life as we know it... nbd!
Alternative Energy for Deep-Sea Ecosystems Chemosynthesis was first observed as the basis of a food web in 1977 during an ocean research expedition near the Galápagos Islands. There, explorers observed hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor spewing a chemical soup of hot fluid along with thriving communities of giant tubeworms. Surrounding these hydrothermal vents was a community of several new animal species—thriving despite living inntotal darkness with no access to sunlight! These incredible communities have since been found at hydrothermal vent fields and at cold seep sites around the globe. Chemosynthetic microbes, like bacteria and archaea, form the base of food webs at hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. Instead of photosynthesis, these organisms use chemosynthesis, the process of creating sugars (food) using energy released from chemical reactions. Unlike photosynthesis, there is not one chemical pathway that defines chemosynthesis. Different chemosynthetic microbe species live at hydrothermal vent and cold seep communities, each using different pathways to harness energy from the chemical- rich waters emerging from these seafloor features. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is abundant in the extremely hot water erupting from hydrothermal vents, while methane (CH4), is common in the fluids percolating up and out of the seafloor at cold seep sites. The diagram on the next page demonstrates how chemosynthetic microbes harness energy released by reactions with these chemicals and use it to drive carbon fixation processes that convert inorganic carbon into sugar/food (C6H12O6). A Riftia tubeworm colony observed off the coast of the Galapágos Islands. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.