Ever wondered how Earth went from zero oxygen to the 21% we breathe today? 🤔 A new study by scientists at Chengdu University of Technology and Nanjing University has cracked the code, revealing three massive oxygen surges over 2 billion years.
Published in Nature, the research team analyzed 'fingerprints' of oxygen trapped in ancient sulfate rocks. These tiny variations—called triple oxygen isotopes—work like nature’s own detective clues, letting us track shifts in atmospheric O₂ through deep time. 🔬
The results show three big oxygen booms: the first around 2.4–2.1 billion years ago, the second about 1 billion years ago, and the third roughly 440 million years ago. By about 410 million years ago, Earth’s atmosphere reached something close to modern oxygen levels, setting the stage for complex life.
Why does this matter? Each oxygen surge changed the game for life. The first wave allowed simple microbes to thrive, the second paved the way for multicellular organisms, and the third helped shape marine ecosystems and the rise of fish, forests, and eventually us. 🐠🌳
Beyond Earth, these insights help us hunt for habitable planets elsewhere. By understanding how O₂ built up here, we get clues on what to look for around other stars—pretty epic for the next-gen planet explorers among us! 🚀
Next time you take a deep breath, remember: Earth hosted three epic oxygen parties before we could call it home. Here’s to the air that fuels our adventures—both on this planet and beyond! 🌍✌️
Reference(s):
Scientists trace phased rise of oxygen on Earth over 2 billion years
cgtn.com
