Ancient rocks hold the story of Earth's first breath of oxygen

A massive cyanobacteria bloom in Ukraine’s Dnieper River. Ancient cyanobacteria probably pumped oxygen into early Earth's atmosphere.Earth’s atmosphere wasn’t always like it is today. The oxygen that’s so vital to us wasn’t always there.may have had far more in commonThat all changed with a bang, sometime around 2.3 billion years ago.

With the arrival of oxygen, iron in rocks will turn into iron oxide, which we call rust. Other elements, such as molybdenum, rhenium, and sulfur, show changes too—though scientists aren’t always sure what drives those changes., an Earth scientist at Harvard University who was not involved with this research. “The further back in time we go, the less complete these records become.”

And in the years since then, these “whiffs” were embraced by the community. “They’re starting to be taught in introductory earth science classes, is what I’d say,” says Slotznick.In the past decade and a half, that same Mount McRae Shale drill core had been the subject of over half-a-dozen different papers. Many looked at shifts in other elements: selenium, for instance, or heavy metals like osmium and mercury.

“This certainly presents a formidable challenge to arguments for the ‘whiff’ of oxygen within the Mount McRae [Shale],” says Johnston, “and provides a terrific roadmap for how we test these hypotheses moving forward.”

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

After the dinosaurs, Earth became an all-you-can-eat buffet for snakesEarly snakes slithered into newly vacant ecological niches and rapidly evolved the ability to go after a wide array of prey. Don’t schedule tweets like this just before bedtime 🙈 Then why aren't we snake people? Or... maybe we are.
Source: PopSci - 🏆 298. / 63 Read more »

Earth from Orbit: Superior Flow of CloudsGOESEast captured this spectacular view of Lake Effect clouds streaming over the Great Lakes as the sun rose this morning over the region. This phenomenon is dumping heavy snow downwind of the lakes. Learn more in this previous EarthFromOrbit video:
Source: NOAASatellites - 🏆 415. / 53 Read more »

This Eerie Similarity With Earth Has Finally Solved The Mystery of Jupiter's CyclonesEarth and Jupiter don't have a lot in common.
Source: ScienceAlert - 🏆 63. / 68 Read more »

Gorgeous ISS Capture Shows Caribbean and Curvature of Earth | Digital TrendsNASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn has shared a breathtaking image taken from the space station showing the curvature of Earth as well as part of the Caribbean. How dafuq is this a “digital trend”?
Source: DigitalTrends - 🏆 95. / 65 Read more »

The Early Earth was Really Horrible for Life - Universe TodayEarth may have been exposed to more UV in the past than thought. That radiation is deadly to life, but also may have spurred evolution on. Of course it was with volcanos all over I mean what else 'researchers' expected ? 🤔 Thank goodness it became kinder in time Now life is hostile for Earth.
Source: universetoday - 🏆 297. / 63 Read more »

Here's What Would Really Happen if Earth Had an Impact EventNo impact crater was ever found from the Tunguska event because the meteorite is believed to have disintegrated at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometers (3 to 6 miles).
Source: IntEngineering - 🏆 287. / 63 Read more »