![]() ![]() How so? Well, while hydrogen is a light gas that can escape the planet’s gravity, oxygen is much heavier and remains in the atmosphere. While solar energy can also break apart water molecules, doing so without photosynthesis was actually a threat to the early life forms that developed in the oceans. The answer is photosynthesis, the process through which plants use sunlight to split water into its constituent parts, hydrogen and oxygen. But today, our air is about 21 percent oxygen. For instance, about four billion years ago, the planet’s atmosphere contained barely any oxygen at all. While oxygen has played an essential role in sustaining life on earth for millennia, it hasn't always been such a ubiquitous element. But oxygen serves important functions beyond just respiration. After all, without it, we’d all be dead in a matter of minutes. ![]()
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