allowing us to breathe, construct materials, and do a lot more than you might realize.

它的存在讓我們能夠呼吸、建構物質、以及其他你可能根本沒想到的事

So what would happen if it disappeared from the earth for 5 seconds?

如果地球上的氧氣突然消失五秒會發生什麼事呢？

If we first look at the loss of atmospheric oxygen as an oxygen in the air,

如果我們講的是空氣裡少了氧氣的這種情況

you may not want to be traveling.

你大概不會希望你剛好在旅行的途中

Without oxygen, the internal combustion engines found in 250 million vehicles in the US alone

沒有了氧氣，全美 2.5 億輛交通工具裡的內燃機

would be unable to turn heat into the work required to push the piston inside.

就無法將熱能轉成推動內部活塞所需要做的功

Cars would most likely not start and if already moving would stop running immediately.

當然車子也就無法發動，而已經發動的車子也會馬上停止運行

Considering that an estimated 100 airplanes take off or land every minute,

每一分鐘估計大約有 100 架飛機起飛及降落

the loss of oxygen could also cause some early crash landings all over the world.

沒有了氧氣也可能造成各地的飛機緊急迫降

Although airplanes already in the air could probably glide safely until oxygen returned.

雖然航行中的飛機應該是可以安全地滑行直到氧氣回復

But would you suffocate?

那你會因為沒有氧氣而窒息嗎？

Oxygen does play a crucial role in one of the last steps of cellular respiration.

氧氣在呼吸作用的最後階段扮演著很重要的角色

But luckily our bodies have alternative pathways that

但幸好我們的身體有替代途徑

help us survive when we temporarily lack of oxygen.

讓我們可以在短暫缺乏氧氣時仍可以存活

For example, during intense exercise, muscle cells will use up all of their oxygen and

比方說在激烈運動時，肌肉細胞會耗光周圍的氧氣

switch to a process called lactic acid fermentation, which uses glucose to produce energy.

並轉而行乳酸發酵，也就是用葡萄糖來產生能量

Cells lacking oxygen also have been shown to reprogram itself to prioritize and

細胞缺乏氧氣時，它也會重新調整工作的優先順序

make the most necessary proteins first.

優先製造最重要的蛋白質

All in all, if you can hold your breath for 5 seconds,

總而言之，如果你可以憋氣五秒鐘

then you'll most likely survive the atmospheric oxygen apocalypse.

你就可以從這場「無氧氣末日」中存活下來

But when we take the question literally,

但如果我們從字面上來看待這個問題

as in what would happen if we lost the oxygen atom completely.

那就是如果氧原子完全消失會發生什麼事？

Obliterating it from compounds like water, quartz, and ozone

將氧原子從水、石英及臭氧等化合物中抽離

then the results become more devastating. If we consider non-living things alone, then

所造成的結果會更具毀滅性。我們先談談那些非生物的情況

nearly everything in the material world would turn into a metallic dust when oxygen is done.

只要缺乏氧原子，幾乎所有物質世界的東西都會變成金屬屑屑

This includes buildings, cars, roads, clothes, furniture, and more.

像是建築物、車子、馬路、衣服、家具、和其他東西都難逃一劫

As all our materials like concrete, wood, glass, stone, brick and cotton

所有物質像是水泥、木頭、玻璃、石頭、磚塊和棉花

all contain or are made up of an oxygen-based compound.

都含有氧原子或是由氧原子的化合物所組成

Without the oxygen bond, many of these compounds would be

少了跟氧原子的鍵結，很多化合物就只能

left with their elements unbound and in their simplest form.

以他們最基本的形態存在

And while all your favorite stores in possessions turn to dust, they'll be simultaneously

當那些你喜歡的東西都變成塵埃，它們也會同時

collapsing into the center of the earth, to be burned in a fiery oblivion.

朝地球中心瓦解，並在一場大火中燃燒殆盡

As oxygen makes up 46% of the Earth's crust, the ground beneath us would cease to exist.

因為地殼的有 46% 都是氧原子組成，所以當氧原子消失時，我們腳下的地面就會不復存在

The ocean which covers about 70% of the Earth would evaporate and become hydrogen gas.

而佔據地球表面積 70% 的海洋將會蒸發並留下氫氣

And upon the return of oxygen 5 seconds later, the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen

過了五秒鐘後，當氧原子又出現時，氫原子和氧原子便會反應

would release mass amount of heat as water is produced again.

重新製造水，這個過程會釋放極大量的熱

So the world would end all around us.

所以整個地球就會毀滅

But that's okay, you probably won't be around to witness any of this.

但不要擔心，你大概也沒機會目睹這一切

As all our living cells contain water and will like

我們所有的活細胞之中都含有水，也因此情況就會像剛剛

the ocean evaporate into space as hydrogen gas.

海洋蒸發並以氫氣的形式逸散到太空中一樣

The rest of us would be dead as well with oxygen and hydrogen gone.

少了氧原子和氫原子，我們也註定會面臨死亡

We've lost 75% of our elemental makeup and only a pile of carbon, nitrogen,

因為我們會失去 75% 的主要組成成份，只剩下一堆碳、氮

calcium, phosphorus, and other trace elements would be what's left of our bodies.

鈣、磷以及其他殘存在我們體內的微量元素

Without oxygen, it's safe to say you wouldn't feel so good.

沒有了氧原子，我相信你絕對不會太好受

Thank you guys so much for watching.

謝謝大家的收看

If you love to hear about apocalypse type of scenarios,

如果你喜歡聽這類世界末日型的情節

then make sure to check out our newest podcast, called SideNote.

那就快去看看我們最新的播客 - SideNote

It's about human extinction and whether or not

我們會在播客討論有關人類大滅絕還有探討

the world is ending in taking humanity with it.

這個世界在末日之際會不會將人性一同奪走

I'll put a link in the description so you can listen to that.

我會在資訊欄貼上連結，你就可以去收聽

You can find out whether we are optimistic or

你可以聽聽我們對這件事是抱持著樂觀的態度或

whether we think things aren't looking so good.

我們會覺得情況可能不太樂觀

Make sure you subscribe on YouTube for more weekly videos,

快訂閱我們的 YouTube 頻道來鎖定每週的影片

and we'll see you next week. See ya!!

我們下週見囉。掰掰！