Earth's mantle was 'breathing' oxygen a billion years before it hit the atmosphere, mineral time capsules reveal
Scientists have discovered that Earth's mantle contained oxygen a billion years before it appeared in the atmosphere. By analyzing ancient zircon crystals containing trapped apatite, researchers gained new insights into the early history of the planet's oxygen cycle.
Why it matters
Understanding the deep history of Earth's oxygen provides critical context for the evolution of life and the geological processes that shaped our habitable planet.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Why is there life on Earth? It's one of the oldest questions humans have asked, and as far as we know, our planet is the only one that holds the answer.
Earth is also the only planet we know of with plate tectonics, the slow-motion churn of its outer shell that recycles rock, reshapes continents and cycles the nutrients that could feed life.
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