
“Pyrite is an iron-sulfur mineral (also known as fools’ gold), which forms when microbes in seafloor sediments use the sulfur dissolved in seawater to digest organic matter. The microbes take up sulfur in the form of sulfate (bound to four oxygen atoms) and release it as sulfide (with no oxygen). Oxygen is released during this process, thus making it a source of oxygen in the air. The implication of these findings is that the sulfur cycle regulates the atmospheric concentration of oxygen more strongly than previously appreciated.”
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/07/23/fools-gold-found-to-regulate-global-oxygen/
Related posts:
British prisoner: ‘People are dying’ in Guantanamo Bay from systemic torture
'Copblock' wiretap case goes to court in Manchester
China market: Third-party e-payments top CNY1.5 trillion in 3Q13
U.S. Funds Score Big by Betting Against Yen
Washington state pot regulators favor outdoor growth for environmental reasons
Pentagon wants bin Laden-style SEAL raid on Mexican drug kingpin
Escaping The Education BLOB: The Ron Paul Curriculum
Bitcoins to Survive Lull, Shake Industries, Wedbush Says
Muslim Brotherhood pushes for more protests after bloody ‘Day of Rage’
Controversial 'naked' airport body scanners to be scrapped in Europe, U.K.
Homeless man jailed for charging phone in park
‘The world needs more capitalism’ – Greta interviews Whole Foods co-CEO John Mackey
Cop charged with stealing from home he was sent to check on
NYC's Bloomberg led the way on trans fats ban
New York auction houses celebrate after billion-dollar sales week