Earth & Life. 3.77 Billion Years Under Construction | Olivia Judson | Escaped Sapiens #60
The Escaped Sapiens Podcast
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The Impact of Cyanobacteria on Earth's Oxygen Accumulation circa 2.4B
Cyanobacteria, the only organisms that release oxygen, appeared around 2.4 billion years ago. They have the ability to change the world due to their abundance. One cyanobacteria can produce enough oxygen for a human breath in 100 million to 1 billion years. Presently, there is a species of tiny cyanobacteria called Prochlorococcus with an estimated population of 10 to the 27th. It is uncertain how cyanobacteria initially evolved and what their populations were like, as it is challenging to study ancient geological processes. Nevertheless, the scientific community has made remarkable progress in understanding the history of oxygen accumulation and the role played by cyanobacteria.
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