Finding oxygen in an exoplanet's atmosphere is a clue that life may be at work.
On Earth, photosynthetic organisms absorb carbon dioxide, sunlight, and water and produce sugars and starches for energy. Oxygen is the byproduct of that process, so if we can detect oxygen elsewhere, it'll generate excitement.
Oxygen's presence stems from the Great Oxygenation Event about two billion years ago. Ancient cyanobacteria evolved pigments that absorb sunlight and use it in photosynthesis. Oxygen is photosynthesis' waste product, and life has had a couple of billion years to build oxygen up in the atmosphere, mantle, and crust.
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