Breathe easy, for now. Scientists say our breathable air won’t last forever. A new NASA-supported study warns that Earth’s oxygen supply is not a permanent feature of our planet. Though we often take it for granted, the delicate balance that allows life to thrive will eventually shift. Over the next billion years, Earth’s atmosphere will lose its oxygen, transitioning into a state no longer capable of supporting complex life.
This transformation won’t happen suddenly or within our lifetimes. Still, understanding how and why it unfolds gives us valuable insight into Earth’s long-term future and what it means for life on other planets. The study also sheds light on how planetary atmospheres evolve and how signs of life, called biosignatures, can disappear over time.
