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The Best Science Writing Online 2012
Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
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[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
Once upon a time, our atmosphere was a little thin on oxygen. Like, there wasn’t any. Then, about three billion years ago, a handful of bacteria figured out how to harvest the energy from sunlight to make themselves some food. In the process, they consumed carbon dioxide, and gave off oxygen. So the air filled with oxygen, and all was right with the world. If you’ve ever taken an intro biology course, you’ve no doubt heard the tale. Photosynthetic bacteria are the heroes who brought oxygen to our planet.
But maybe there’s more to the story than that. Because in the online issue of Nature Geoscience, researchers from Australia say: the bacteria didn’t act alone. The scientists looked at atmospheric oxygen levels throughout Earth’s history. And they found that the amount of oxygen in the air spiked each time smaller land masses collided to form a supercontinent, like Pangea. These massive pile-ups generated mountain chains, and as the mountains eroded, they released nutrients into the oceans, feeding the photosynthetic bacteria. So the young Earth and its inhabitants worked together to produce a planet where you can really find inspiration.
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15 Comments
Add Commentyou are a little far fetched there i do not believe the world has been here for billions of years and all of our oxygen was not created by bacteria but by the one and only living God my lord and savior Jesus Christ.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSorry, but I'm afraid that the transcript seems not match the podcast.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHey Born Again A$$hole - you posted this on a computer, right?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisComputers exist because of science, not some invisible man-power.
Even within your religious fervor why is it so hard to believe that the "prime mover" GAVE science to man to use as a tool?
Well, I guess you would need to believe the rocks emitted oxygen during this process if you were to believe organic evolution were fact. It is impossible for the DNA of these bacteria to form in the absence of oxygen. If there were no oxygen in the form of O3 (ozone) during this process, the elements of bacterial DNA would be destroyed from the resulting solar radiation. However, bacterial DNA cannot form in the presence of oxygen (it becomes oxidized)--this is why all experiments to synthetically create DNA are done in a vaccum. The notion that these initial bacteria were formed from these random processes is resting on very shaky slightly oxygenated ground if you ask me. In fact, I believe this is another observational ally for spontaneous Creation by our designer God.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswe have proof that the world is millions of years old (570) and that the first ape / human evidence is 1.6 million years (or 0.287% of the total time of the earth's existence) and that the judeo / christian religion (NOT the oldest religion in the world) is only 10,000 years of that time (or 0.00175% or the total time of the earth's existence) and you have the audacity to suggest some kind of designer (who's name you don't even know) spontaneously created it all ?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswell, I do agree that it happened spontaneously, I believe life is as inevitable as fire and under the right conditions it spontaneously combusts and it doesn't take a god who has his son killed (love by violence) to prove he is somebody. why would anyone want to worship THAT kind of example ? just accept that there are things you cannot comprehend, that's enough, but enough of the pagan bull.
ARGH... just let the religious zealots alone... its the pain of having a set of rules that they cannot control I think is the issue. How could scientists be finding a set of rules they don't already know, so what does that mean about them and their religion.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo in effect, is this saying the planet has been doing its own terra forming for us? So if we through these same nutrients into the ocean - could we get a similar result? Makes the case for these co2 enviro-engineering compaines much more interesting.
Charles, reading comprehension is IMPORTANT.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRicks did not emit Oxygen, Bacteria did. The rocks, via erosion, leeched nutrients and minerals into the oceans "feeding the bacteria."
If you cannot even comment accurately how can you expect even a tiny shred of credibility?
A controversial point indeed: oxygen was suddenly released in the atmosphere from the guts of earth (after reactions with iron or sulfur) 2.5 billion years ago or only slowly by the bacterias action. The article of Nature not has an answer for that; there they say in theories. Mysterious world this ours that SCIENCE is exploring!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPoor people thay know not what they do.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisReligion is a software virus for the Human Brain.
We need a disinfectant.
i really benefit a lot from this episode...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am a fresh man from China, ur responds are welcome
:)
it is really controversial, like other science mystery.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAre the theories built on a shaky ground? Do the men solely adopt evidences that are to his favor?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLike the euphonic and cute exhaling ^_^ at the end, and also glad to notice that more would focus eyes here and give responses. Now that the debate is emerging between religion and science, I would advocate that both calumniation and blasphemy are not advised.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am sure there are a lot of religious blogs for proponents of ID and different kinds of Creators to post their comments. Why don't they just let this site alone? Science is complicated enough and withoui this kind of false problems.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thissounds a bit far fetched.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisdid the erosion of mountains provide neutrition so plentiful that it pronoucedly increased the number of photosynthetic bacteria?