So why do so many life-forms breathe oxygen? There are probably thousands of kinds of metabolisms, or chemical processes that maintain life, said Donald Canfield, a geobiologist at the University of ...

The number of protons is what defines the element. Oxygen, for example, has eight protons. However, the number of neutrons in ...

Kornmesser via Courthouse News). (CN) — It’s the third most abundant element in the universe behind hydrogen and helium, but the presence of oxygen outside the Milky Way can never be assumed. However, ...

We've got a lot to thank these little microbes for. As oxygen levels increased, bacteria already using the element could tolerate its effects to diversify more quickly than their anaerobic cousins.

Not only do people need oxygen to breathe, which Mars’ atmosphere sorely lacks, but rocket propellants to get people to the planet need the element as well. Getting that all-important element out ...

Oxygen is a non-metal element that is a gas at room temperature. Its molecules contain two oxygen atoms. Oxygen is vital for respiration, which is the process that transforms energy from glucose ...