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The Earth is spinning slower and slower: Find out how this may have shaped the OXYGEN we breathe and the future of life on the planet

Written by Carla Teles de Lima
Published 12/01/2025 às 21:15
The Earth is spinning slower and slower: Find out how this may have shaped the OXYGEN we breathe and the future of life on the planet
The Moon makes the Earth spin slower with its gravitational pull. This slow motion has helped increase the oxygen in the air we breathe.

Earth’s rotation is slowing due to the gravitational influence of the Moon, lengthening our days by milliseconds per century. This phenomenon may have been crucial to the increase in oxygen in the atmosphere billions of years ago, allowing the emergence of complex life. What does this slow but steady change hold for the future of our planet?

Did you know that days on Earth are getting longer, but so slowly that we don’t even notice? This slowdown in the Earth’s rotation is not just a scientific curiosity; it has profound implications for the history and future of the planet. After all, could the length of a day influence something as vital as the oxygen we breathe?

Let's explore this fascinating dance between Earth and the Moon and discover how ancient microbes and cosmic gravity shaped the planet as we know it.

What is Earth's deceleration and why does it happen?

The Moon pulls on Earth's oceans and slowly makes the planet spin more slowly. This slow change may have helped create the oxygen we breathe today.
The Moon pulls on Earth's oceans and slowly makes the planet spin more slowly. This slow change may have helped create the oxygen we breathe today.

The Earth doesn’t spin as fast as it did billions of years ago. Why? The answer lies in our celestial companion, the Moon. The Moon’s gravity pulls on the oceans, creating tides. This movement creates a small amount of friction, transferring energy from the Earth to the Moon. The result? The Moon moves away from Earth by about 3,8 inches (XNUMX centimeters) every year, and our days are slowly lengthening.

1,4 billion years ago, a day was only 18 hours long! Even in the time of the dinosaurs, 70 million years ago, days were about 30 minutes shorter than they are today. What about the future? The rotation will continue to slow down, stretching our days out over millions of years.

The connection between Earth's rotation and oxygenation

Billions of years ago, Earth had an atmosphere nearly devoid of oxygen. That's when microbes called cyanobacteria came into the picture, producing oxygen through photosynthesis. However, their ability to transform the air depended on the length of the day.

With longer days, cyanobacteria had more time to capture sunlight and produce oxygen. This culminated in the so-called Great Oxidation Event 2,4 billion years ago, when oxygen levels in the atmosphere rose dramatically, allowing complex life forms to emerge.

The Great Oxidation Event, a milestone for life

Photosynthesis is like an engine that needs time to warm up. On early Earth, short days limited the productivity of cyanobacteria. As the days got longer, they produced enough oxygen to transform the atmosphere.

These ancient microbes are true heroes of Earth's history. Studies show that their efficiency increased with the length of the day, suggesting that even small adjustments to the planet's rhythm can trigger big changes.

The future and its implications

Earth’s slower rotation not only affects the length of the day, but also the climate, oceans and ecosystems. Although the changes are gradual, they have profound long-term impacts.

Studying the past reveals how connected we are to larger forces. Just as the slowing of rotation has shaped life, understand these changes can help us predict the impact of current phenomena such as climate change.

The Earth is like a giant cosmic clock, where every second has a story to tell. The slowing of its rotation reminds us that even imperceptible movements can shape life. So the next time you look at the Moon, remember: it is not only beautiful, but also an invisible engine of our planet’s history. 

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Carla Teles de Lima

I talk about technology, innovation and the oil and gas sector, bringing up-to-date and relevant content about the Brazilian market. Every day, I share information about job opportunities and the main news in the sector. Do you have a suggestion for a topic? Just send it to my email: carlatdl016@gmail.com.

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