UW News

Kunmanee Bubphamanee

August 25, 2025

How oxygen made the deep ocean home to animals, spurring rapid evolution

an illustration of an larged jawed fish, reminiscent of early deep-ocean dwellers

New research shows that deep-ocean oxygenation occurred 100 million years later than previously thought, aligning with the growth and spread of land plants. Once oxygenated, the ocean hosted rapid animal evolution, leading to the rise of modern vertebrates.