Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe, allowing us to breathe, construct materials and do a lot more than you might realize.
So, what would happen if it disappeared from the Earth for 5 seconds?
If we first look at the loss of atmospheric oxygen as in oxygen in the air, you may not want to be traveling.
Without oxygen, the internal combustion engines found in 215 million vehicles in the US alone would be unable to turn heat into the work required to push the piston inside.
Cars would most likely not start, and if already moving, would stop running immediately.
Considering that an estimated 100 airplanes take off or land every minute, the loss of oxygen could also cause some early crash landings all over the world.
Although airplanes already in the air could probably glide safely until oxygen returned.
But would you suffocate?
Oxygen does play a crucial role in one of the last steps of cellular respiration, but luckily our bodies have alternative pathways that help us survive when we temporarily lack oxygen.
For example, during intense exercise, muscle cells will use up all of their oxygen and switch to a process called lactic acid fermentation, which uses glucose to produce energy.
