What was the Great Oxygenation Event?

The oxygen in our atmosphere feels like a life-giving gift, but its arrival on Earth was a global catastrophe. The air we breathe was first introduced as a deadly poison that wiped out most life on the planet. For the first billion years of life, Earth was home to tiny organisms that couldn't survive in oxygen. But then, a new kind of bacteria evolved: cyanobacteria. Through photosynthesis, they began to release a toxic waste product into the air—oxygen. This video tells the story of the Great Oxygenation Event. We'll show you how this 'pollution' slowly built up, first rusting the iron in the oceans and then filling the atmosphere. For the planet's dominant life forms, it was an apocalypse. The poison gas was everywhere. This event triggered a mass extinction, but it also changed the world forever. It cleared the way for new forms of life that could not only tolerate oxygen but use it to become more complex and powerful. We are the descendants of the survivors of this planetary poisoning. If you're interested in the dramatic and often brutal history of life on our planet, this story of the world's first, and most important, pollution event is for you.

Видео What was the Great Oxygenation Event? канала Educational Videos!