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.
Scientists know that manganese, in its various oxide forms, plays a significant role in Earth's geochemical cycles. However, the exact forms of manganese, their abundance and the mechanisms behind these cycles that occur ...
Earth was mostly devoid of oxygen for much of its 4.5 billion year lifetime. That is, until certain processes started to allow for the eventual buildup of oxygen up to the levels we have now (around 21% of the atmosphere). ...
A collaborative team of scientists has discovered that life on Earth over three billion years ago relied on the metal molybdenum, which was incredibly scarce in the environment at the time. The study, published in Nature ...
Astrobiology
May 5, 2026
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153
Earth and the moon may look very different today, but they formed under similar conditions in space. In fact, a dominant hypothesis says that the early Earth was hit by a Mars-sized object, and it was this giant impact that ...
Astrobiology
Mar 30, 2026
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14
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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28
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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209
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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67
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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55
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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