Bacteria and Oxygen

Once upon a time, our [atmosphere:weather] was a little thin on oxygen. Like, there wasn't any. Then, about three billion years ago, a handful of [bacteria:virus] figured out how to harvest the energy from [sunlight:bulb] to make themselves some food. In the process, they consumed carbon dioxide and gave off oxygen. So the air filled with oxygen, and all was right with the world. If you've ever taken an intro biology course, you've no doubt heard the tale. Photosynthetic bacteria are the heroes who brought oxygen to our planet.But maybe there's more to the story than that. Because in the online issue of Nature Geoscience, researchers from [Australia:Indonesia] say: the bacteria didn't act alone.The [scientists:informers] looked at [atmospheric:climatic] oxygen levels throughout Earth's history. And they found that the amount of oxygen in the air spiked each time smaller land masses collided to form a supercontinent, like Pangea. These massive pile-ups generated mountain chains, and as the mountains eroded, they released nutrients into the oceans, feeding the photosynthetic bacteria. So the young Earth and its inhabitants worked [together:simultaneously] to produce a planet where you can really find inspiration.