2006-08-21 17:48:18 · 22 answers · asked by Don't Fear the Reaper 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
I knew the answer to this question,but i asked because I wanted to demonstarte to all the people who thought it wa a stupid question, that a good percentage of people answered the question with "to breathe" which is nonsense, as we dont need oxygen to breathe, we breathe because we need oxygen. So far only one person has given the correct answer.
2006-08-22 04:57:02 · update #1
These answers are kinda true/false. Here's the REAL reason
Hope you get it.
Well.....
oxgen is a chemical necessity of life. Oxygen is used by almost all the cells in your body - that's what you're made of; billions and billions of cells is what you're made of - for a process called cellular respiration. Nooo..it's not respiration as in breathing. I thought it was that, too. Cellular respiration is the process by which energy is converted from your food to potential chemical energy in the bonds of ATP - adenosine triphosphate. Through a series of very complex reactions including glycolysis and the krebs cycle - which I WILL NOT bore you with (yayyy!) oxygen serves as a last electron receptor, making water; - one of the byproducts of cell. respiration. Without oxygen - like when you exercise really hard like sprint or somthing and you don't get enough oxygen to all your cells - your cells can't undergo cell respiration and your cells turn to their last resort - fermentation which also converts the food to some chemical energy but not a lot. It's very inefficient. You can't survive fermentating. You need oxygen to get the most energy out of your foods - think of it like that. HOPe it helps...
2006-08-21 18:05:25 · answer #1 · answered by Jonathan S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Simply, to breathe
Air is made of 78% Nitrogen, which we breathe but cannot process. the 21% oxygen goes in the lungs and exchanges into the blood cells in your lunges, while the waste product, carbon dioxide is expelled.
We also need oxygen to oxidize many chemicals on earth, when combined with hydrogen, we have water. Even the combination with carbon, carbon dioxide, is needed for plants to survive...and we need plants.
2006-08-22 00:53:21 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
For respiration. That's why we breathe, so that in the biological process called "respiration" we have fuel to process the sugars needed to function. Without oxygen animals get lactic acid-fermentation, and plants have alcoholic fermentation.
Oxygen is necessary to provide energy for the body (and for most organisms) to use.
2006-08-22 01:21:08 · answer #3 · answered by solitusfactum 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
think of it this way you know when you run or lift weights and your muscles start to burn. this happens because when you start working out hard you do not get enough oxygen to every part of your body without oxygen your body can not use its fuel correctly so your body adjust creating only one tenth the energy it does when it has oxygen it also has to create a byproduct which is know as lactic acid. lactic acid is what causes your body to burn, which is broken down when you start to bring more oxygen into your body. imagian if you did not have oxygen that acid would build up and never go away and eventually your body would exuhst all of your enrgy that you create this way and resperation would stop
2006-08-22 01:49:43 · answer #4 · answered by J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is actually a very good and intelligent question. ATP (adinosene triphosphate) is the major form of energy used for cellular metabolism. Carbohydrate metabolism requires oxygen in order to "burn" simple sugars to make ATP. This process is call the Krebs cycle and almost all life on earth is based on this process.
2006-08-22 00:59:51 · answer #5 · answered by Kitiany 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Oxygen helps us to burn the food we eat , generate ATP's which are very well known as Biological currencies and thereby provide energy.
2006-08-22 05:34:23 · answer #6 · answered by jeeya 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dont want to give a whole essay and i wont resay what others have but our blood carries oxygen=hemoglobin. with out it our blood will be sickel shaped which is known as sickelcell anemia. and you will die B/c of it. oxygen diffuses into your blood as you breathe it in through your lungs.
2006-08-22 01:11:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
1) In respiration, so that it can react with the carbohydrates in your cells and release energy which is used by the body to process and absorb nutrients from food.
2) to oxidize haemoglobin, so that the blood stays fluid
2006-08-22 01:02:35 · answer #8 · answered by Simmi Reds 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To breathe.
2006-08-22 04:50:42 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
in the formation of ATP, oxygen is the receptor of electrons. It gets converted to CO2 to be exhaled.
2006-08-22 17:04:30 · answer #10 · answered by leikevy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋