Oxygen, as a scientific topic, encompasses the study of the element with atomic number 8, its diatomic molecular form (O₂), and its reactive allotropes and species (e.g., O₃, reactive oxygen species). Research addresses its physicochemical properties, electronic structure, and behavior in gaseous, liquid, and solid phases, as well as its central role in redox reactions, combustion, and bioenergetics. The topic also includes oxygen transport and utilization in biological systems, oxygen cycles in environmental and Earth system science, and its involvement in oxidative stress, signaling pathways, and industrial processes such as oxidation catalysis and materials processing.
Oxygen has been the most important gas in our search for life among the cosmos thus far. On Earth, we have it in abundance because it is produced by biological synthesis. But that might not be the case on other planets, so ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 17, 2026
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27
A new study from the University of Helsinki reveals how plant mitochondria draw molecular oxygen away from chloroplasts, an interaction not previously documented. The discovery sheds new light on how plants regulate oxygen ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 7, 2026
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207
Cyanobacteria, as they still exist today, were the first organisms to carry out photosynthesis and release oxygen. Produced in primeval oceans about 2.5 billion years ago, this oxygen accumulated in Earth's atmosphere on ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 26, 2026
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64
The most widely accepted scientific explanation for the arrival of all complex life on Earth has had an unsolved mystery at its heart. According to the theory, all plants, animals and fungi, known collectively as eukaryotes, ...
Evolution
Feb 18, 2026
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53
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Zhao Bangchuan from the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. Xiao Yao from Wenzhou University, ...
Nanophysics
Feb 14, 2026
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40
Oxygen is a vital and constant presence on Earth today. But that hasn't always been the case. It wasn't until around 2.3 billion years ago that oxygen became a permanent fixture in the atmosphere, during a pivotal period ...
Evolution
Feb 6, 2026
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117
Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new nanomaterial that triggers a pair of chemical reactions inside cancer cells, killing the cells via oxidative stress while leaving healthy tissues alone. The study ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 27, 2026
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152
A team of scientists announced Tuesday they have developed new deep-sea landers specifically to test their contentious discovery that metallic rocks at the bottom of the ocean are producing "dark oxygen".
Earth Sciences
Jan 20, 2026
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1287
For roughly 2 billion years of Earth's early history, the atmosphere contained no oxygen, the essential ingredient required for complex life. Oxygen began building up during the period known as the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), ...
Astrobiology
Dec 9, 2025
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80
A new study has revealed how phosphorus, a nutrient essential for photosynthesis, surged into ancient oceans and started Earth's first major rise in atmospheric oxygen more than 2 billion years ago.
Astrobiology
Oct 20, 2025
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57
