Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/DrPixel
Topics: Science, Earth, Environment, YouTube
Callum Jones
A chilling simulation has revealed what would happen if the world lost all forms of oxygen for just five seconds, and while it doesn't seem like a lot of time, the effects would be catastrophic.
Earth's atmosphere is composed of 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen, so while oxygen isn't the most abundant gas in our atmosphere, that doesn't mean it's not important - and not just for us.
Oxygen is essential for life as we know it, but surely if it disappeared for just five seconds then we'd be still be all fine? Especially given the fact I'm sure most of us can hold our breath for more than five seconds.
Well, that couldn't be further from the truth, as a viral simulation video has detailed what would happened to us and our planet in the event of oxygen vanishing for just that short period of time.
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In a simulation uploaded by the YouTube channel 'What If', a narrator began by explaining how your breathing would remain normal - but everything else would change.
Anything made of concrete would 'instantly collapse' as oxygen is important in the binding process of concrete, meaning any buildings made out of the stuff would be weakened and could come crumbling to the ground.
Any 'untreated mental' would also be fused together because a layer of oxidation found within metal that prevents them from welding together would be removed.
Those out and about should expect 'instant sunburn' as the Ozone layer, which protects us about the sun's incredible UV levels, would be no more as oxygen helps it run.
The simulation continues: "In addition to sunburn, our inner ear would explode. Losing oxygen means losing 21 percent of our air pressure, and losing that is the equivalent to being at sea level and dropping down 2,000 metres instantly. Our ears wouldn't have enough time to adapt."
There's also no fire with no oxygen, non-electric cars would be the only vehicles running, while planes would immediately drop out of the sky.
On top of that, you've got the small matter of the Earth's crust completely collapsing as it's made up of 45 percent oxygen.
Complete darkness would also engulf the skies. This is because in the absence of oxygen, our atmosphere stops being as good at scattering sunlight, plummeting us into darkness.
Usually, as it enters our planet, sunlight bounces off particles - including oxygen molecules, but of course, this would come to a grinding halt.
Geoffrey Widdinson, a Process Engineer from Texas, expanded on this mad scenario.
He said: “In terms of breathing, we probably wouldn't notice. Our bodies can't detect oxygen deficiency, we can only detect high carbon dioxide levels. As long as CO2 isn't building up in our blood, we don't feel like we're suffocating.
“Actually, it would be disappointingly undramatic.
“The phenomenon of a hundred million cars stalling at once would get some attention, and people monitoring air pressure would notice the blip there, but we'd never figure out the cause and eventually just shrug it off.”
You can rest easy however, as this will never happen.