811Z Summer 2026 The History of the World in One Molecule

It makes up only .04% of air, yet it has had and continues to have an overwhelming effect upon life as it has emerged on our planet. It's responsible for all life itself, yet it is also responsible for four of the five great biologically catastrophic extinctions in global history. It is carbon dioxide. Based in part on Peter Brannen's The History of CO2 is the History of Everything, this class will look at the complex history of global life on earth through the impact of this one ordinary molecule, and how the cycle of water/carbon dioxide/oxygen powers the energy exchange called life. As well as potentially threatens it.