Oxygen is a very important element as it’s part of the air we breathe and the water we drink. There is more oxygen in the earth’s crust than any other element and it makes up 65% of the human body – mostly in the form of water. It’s not just humans that depend on oxygen; other living things do too, and Earth is the only planet in our solar system with enough oxygen for us to survive.
Oxygen has lots of other uses too, like in welding, where it is mixed with acetylene to create a very hot flame for melting metals. It’s also used in fuels for rockets and jets, in hospitals for killing bacteria and treating carbon-monoxide poisoning, and to purify water making it safe for us to drink.
This zone is a general science zone, with five scientists all working in different areas. One scientist is working out what would happen if a black hole came too close to our sun and another is researching our skin to find out things like how to avoid scarring when we get cut. There is a scientist who tests our blood when it gets taken at the doctors, a scientist who makes tiny amounts of illegal drugs to help the police catch criminals and another who is trying to make food from insects!