Did a nickel famine trigger the Great Oxidation Event?

The Earth's original atmosphere held very little oxygen. This began to change around 2.4 billion years ago when oxygen levels increased dramatically during what scientists call the 'Great Oxidation Event.' The cause of this event has puzzled scientists, but researchers writing in today's Nature have found indications in ancient sedimentary rocks that it may have been linked to a drop in the level of dissolved nickel in seawater...

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