Menu Close

Articles on Oxygen

Displaying 1 - 20 of 53 articles

The Jharia coal field in India has been on fire underground since 1916. Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images

Why don’t rocks burn?

Some rocks will burn, and others will melt, depending on how they were formed and what minerals they contain.
‘Earthrise,’ a photo of the Earth taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, Dec. 4, 1968. NASA/Bill Anders via Wikipedia

Will the Earth last forever?

The Earth isn’t permanent, but it was here for four billion years before humans arrived and should be here for several billion more.
Kate Winslet promoting ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in London in December 2022. Winslet held her breath for over seven minutes during filming of the movie. (Shutterstock)

The science of holding your breath: How could Kate Winslet stay underwater for over 7 minutes in Avatar 2?

Kate Winslet held her breath for an impressive 7 minutes and 15 seconds while filming, but the current world record is over 24 minutes. Here’s how people learn to stay underwater for extended periods of time.
When fish like this netted cod are exposed to mercury, it accumulates in certain organs, including the lenses of their eyes. Yvette Heimbrand

The lenses of fishes’ eyes record their lifetime exposure to toxic mercury, new research finds

A new study shows that a time stamp can be put on mercury that accumulates in fish eyes, offering a window into their lifetime exposure.
An artist’s impression of the Earth around 2.7 billion years ago in the Archean Eon. With green iron-rich seas, an orange methane-rich atmosphere and a surface dominated by oceans, the Archean Earth would have been a very different place. (Illustration by Andrey Atuchin)

Where did the Earth’s oxygen come from? New study hints at an unexpected source

Could tectonic processes in the early Earth have contributed to the rise of oxygen?
An artist’s concept of an astronaut walking on Mars. But what would happen if the astronaut weren’t wearing a space helmet? cokada/E+ via Getty Images

Could people breathe the air on Mars?

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and one of our closest neighbors in space. But it’s not a very welcoming place for an Earthling to visit.

Top contributors

More