What might happen when Earth runs out of oxygen?
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Loading... - Chitundu Ronoh
- 08 Aug 2022
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It's a fact: Earth will eventually run out of oxygen. While this won't happen in our lifetime, the fate of our planet is well known. But when will this happen, and why? Will humans still be here? If so, how can our species survive without oxygen?
Click through the following gallery and discover the answers to these and many other questions.
The beginning
There was no oxygen when Earth was formed. But there was no life either. The atmosphere back then was composed of several gases, including methane and ammonia.
So what created oxygen on Earth?
Life produced oxygen through photosynthesis. And in the beginning, it was a bit too much. In the early days, oxygen was pretty deadly. An event known as the Oxygen Catastrophe, or the Great Oxidation Event, confirms this.
The Oxygen Catastrophe
This mass extinction event occurred around 2.5 billion years ago. By then, a photosynthesizing bacterium was responsible for releasing high quantities of oxygen into the atmosphere. The result was catastrophic, killing all anaerobic life (organisms that don’t require oxygen to live).
So essentially, this bacterium depended on the Sun to produce oxygen. Despite the oxygenation event, our Sun brought Earth to life…and will eventually destroy it.
The Sun
The Sun is becoming brighter as time goes by. It is estimated that since it first ignited, around 4.5 billion years ago, the giant star has become around 30% brighter over the years. Read More…
