All life on Earth is dependent on biologically mediated electron transfer (i.e., redox) reactions that are far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Biological redox reactions originally evolved in prokaryotes and ultimately, over the first ∼2.5 billion years of Earth's history, formed a global electronic circuit. To maintain the circuit on a global scale requires that oxidants and reductants be transported; the two major planetary wires that connect global metabolism are geophysical fluids—the atmosphere and the oceans. Because all organisms exchange gases with the environment, the evolution of redox reactions has been a major force in modifying the chemistry at Earth's surface. Here we briefly review the discovery and consequences of redox reactions in microbes with a specific focus on the coevolution of life and geochemical phenomena.

中文翻译：

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微生物电子转移在生物圈和地球圈共同进化中的作用

地球上的所有生命都取决于与热力学平衡相差甚远的生物介导的电子转移（即氧化还原）反应。生物氧化还原反应最初在原核生物中发展，并最终在地球历史的前约25亿年中形成了全球电子电路。为了使电路保持全球规模，需要运输氧化剂和还原剂。连接全球新陈代谢的两个主要行星线是地球物理流体，即大气和海洋。因为所有生物都与环境交换气体，所以氧化还原反应的发展一直是改变地球表面化学反应的主要力量。在这里，我们简要回顾微生物中氧化还原反应的发现和后果，特别关注生命和地球化学现象的共同进化。