Our Atmosphere Is Leaking Oxygen and Scientists Don't Know Why
It’s nothing to lose sleep over—really, I promise—but Earth’s atmosphere is leaking oxygen. Atmospheric oxygen levels…
This Atmospheric Time Capsule Could Change Earth's History
Buried inside ancient grains of rock salt, a team of geologists has discovered traces of a breathable, animal-friendly…
Why You Should Always Put Your Oxygen Mask on First
“I don’t want to die.”That’s what Destin from Smarter Every Day says as his oxygen level drops dangerously low and yet…
Ancient Mars Was Even More Earth-Like Than We Imagined
New findings from NASA’s Curiosity Rover provide evidence that significant amounts of oxygen once permeated the…
Scientists Just Discovered the Origins of Oxygen in the Universe
A team of researchers just confirmed the presence of oxygen in a galaxy 13.1 billion light years away—the furthest…
Learn The Amazing Story Behind Those Glowing Green Space Clouds
The Hubble Telescope captured images of these galaxies surrounded by glowing green clouds. They’re remnants of major…
What Would Happen If All The Earth's Microbes Suddenly Disappeared?
It's generally agreed that life on this planet would not be possible if it weren't for microbes. In a fascinating…
A Spoonful of This New Material Can Suck Up a Whole Roomful of Oxygen
A team of scientists in Denmark just invented a crystalline material that can absorb oxygen with astounding efficiency.…
When Did We Discover That We Needed Oxygen To Live?
One of the major things that keep us from colonizing space is oxygen. Other planets don't have that much of it, and we…
Hydrogen explosion vs. oxygen explosion -- which one wins for biggest?
What's the difference between a hydrogen explosion and an oxygen explosion? Quite a lot. Take a look at this…
Climb Higher Than Mt. Everest, Without Leaving Manhattan
Who knew such extraordinary altitudes could be found, hidden inside the towers of Manhattan's Flatiron District? But,…
See liquid oxygen form a boiling bridge between two magnets
Another day, another cool-looking chemistry experiment. This time around, the chemists involved are using a…
Using Plasma To Clean Glass Is Amazing, Plus Hilariously Roundabout
So there's Windex, but if that's feeling too cleaning product-y for you, be aware that you can also clean glass with…
Our world had oxygen 700 million years earlier than we thought
About 2.3 billion years ago, Earth underwent what is known as the Great Oxidation Event, as early lifeforms…
Why hyperventilating people breathe into paper bags (but shouldn't)
You've seen plenty of movies and TV shows where a person hyperventilates and is given a paper bag to breathe into. Can…
Charcoal's Way More Fun in Liquid Oxygen Than It Is in Your Grill
All the cool kids know that playing with fire is totally awesome, but there's only so much you can accomplish with the…
What Would Happen If the World Lost Oxygen for 5 Seconds?
Sure, our supervillains are more of the geopolitical type, but it's inevitable that some day a mad scientist will…
New sci-fi TV series feature teen aliens, android cops and Alfonso Cuarón
Big sci-fi TV news: Alfonso Cuarón's Believe, J.J. Abrams' new Fringe-esque cop drama and two other new sexy science…
Scientists Invent Particles That Will Let You Live Without Breathing
This may seem like something out of a science fiction movie: researchers have designed microparticles that can be…
How Earth Got Its Oxygen
If you're currently living on our pale blue dot, you should thank it for becoming inhabitable for us human folk.…