There’s nothing more satisfying or more cleansing than sucking in a deep breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, clean air is increasingly hard to find. Cities, especially in quickly industrializing countries like China and India, are choking in clouds of smog and particulate. A recent scientific breakthrough provides a possible window into what life on Earth might be like if the air becomes truly un-breathable. The study details the development of an oxygen gas-filled microparticle that could keep us alive, even if we can’t perform the physical act of breathing. Meet us after the jump to learn more about how it works.
“The microparticles are actually tiny capsules (2-4 micrometers tiny) made of a single layer of lipids surrounding a small bubble of oxygen gas. The capsule is suspended in a liquid so that the bubbles don’t get any bigger,” explains Geekosystem’s Sam Maggs. “Upon injecting the capsule-filled liquid into the bloodstream, the capsules crash into your red blood cells, transferring the oxygen gas from the capsule to the cell. About 70% of the oxygen injected successfully makes its way into the blood stream this way,” Maggs continues.