carbon cycle

How Are Fossil Fuels Formed? The Science Behind Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas

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Stylized illustration of an oil pump jack with smoke rising from it

Fossil fuels are organic substances derived from ancient plant and animal matter compressed under Earth’s surface. These fuels include coal, petroleum (oil), and natural gas—each vital to daily life. Electricity, transportation, and industrial operations depend heavily on them. Created over millions of years, fossil fuels are used far faster than they can be replenished. Their … Read more

Why Is Photosynthesis Crucial for the Carbon Cycle?

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A factory chimney emitting smoke against a clear sky, illustrating industrial activity and air pollution

Photosynthesis rarely gets framed as a system that quietly holds Earth together, yet that is exactly the role it plays. Every breath of oxygen, every forest canopy, every soil layer rich with life traces back to a single biological action that pulls carbon out of the air and surface ocean and locks it into living … Read more