Abstract
Carbon dioxide is regarded as a dirty chemical at present. The molecule conjures up images of melting ice caps, flooded cities, and animals and plants pushed to the edge of extinction. However, recent bad press hides carbon dioxide’s fundamental role in creating living worlds. Carbon dioxide is both a protective blanket and nurturer of complex life. In this chapter we explore its role in the physiology of a living world and its complex relationship with both living organisms and the geology of the host planet.
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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Stevenson, D.S. (2013). The Carbon Dioxide Connection. In: Under a Crimson Sun. Astronomers' Universe. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8133-1_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8133-1_5
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Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-8132-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-8133-1
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