Cover Image: July 2004 Scientific American Magazine See Inside

When Methane Made Climate [Preview]

Today methane-producing microbes are confined to oxygen-free settings, such as the guts of cows, but in Earth's distant past, they ruled the world

By James F. Kasting















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About 2.3 billion years ago

unusual microbes breathed new life into young Planet Earth by filling its skies with oxygen. Without those prolific organisms, called cyanobacteria, most of the life that we see around us would never have evolved.


This article was originally published with the title When Methane Made Climate.



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