Atmospheric oxygen serves as an indicator of biological activity on a planet.
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 81/100
Atmospheric oxygen is widely recognized as a key indicator of biological activity and a primary biosignature gas when searching for life on other planets.
Evidence for · 4
Evolutionary and functional relationships between plant and microbial C<sub>1</sub> metabolism in terrestrial ecosystems.
2025 · cited by 7
Paper 0 notes that C1 metabolism and volatile biosignatures, linked to atmospheric exchange, offer insights into biosignature detection on exoplanets.
See more details
More for · 3
Prospects for detecting signs of life on exoplanets in the JWST era.
2025 · cited by 1
Paper 3 discusses detecting biosignature gases such as oxygen via exoplanet atmosphere transmission spectroscopy to identify biological activity.
Oxygen reductase origin followed the great oxidation event and terminated the Lomagundi excursion.
2026 · cited by 1
Paper 4 details Earth's atmospheric oxygen history as a cornerstone of evolutionary biology, marking the Great Oxidation Event and subsequent oxygen cycles driven by biological processes.
Is constitutive red-shift an advantage for oxygenic photosynthesis under M-dwarf starlight? Insights from <i>Acaryochloris marina</i> sp. str. Moss Beach
2026 · cited by 0
Paper 9 highlights that oxygenic photosynthesis on exoplanets could produce gaseous oxygen as a robust atmospheric biosignature.