Billion-year-old air reveals surprise about oxygen

[oneh2obabe]

Canadian scientists have found a way to analyze air from the ancient Earth's atmosphere that was trapped in salt crystals nearly a billion years ago.

What they found may have implications for the origin of complex life.

The air, which has been preserved, undisturbed, in tiny pockets in the crystals for about 815 million years, appears to contain 10.9 per cent oxygen — just half the amount in the atmosphere today.

But it's about five times more than scientists expected for that time period, which is about 200 million years before the first known multicellular fossils.

"I'm surprised and excited," said Nigel Blamey, a professor of earth sciences at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., who co-led the study with fellow Brock geochemist Uwe Brand.

Full article
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/ancie ... -1.3698842

[BoB76]

And to think we are dumber now!

[bafromca]

This is incredibly interesting oneh2obabe. Thank you for sharing this article!

[Jlabute]

They should be able to measure co2 as well I would guess, using a mass spectrometer.

[GordonH]

They should be able to measure co2 as well I would guess, using a mass spectrometer.

Don't do that, it could punch holes in the current argument. lol

[gman313]

There were also periods of time were oxygen was higher than 20.9 percent. It allowed insects to grow much larger than today as they absorb oxygen directly from air, not with lungs like us