As you take in your next breath of air, you can thank a form of microscopic marine life known as plankton.
They are so small as to be invisible, but taken together, actually dwarf massive creatures like whales. Plankton make up 98 percent of the biomass of ocean life.
"This invisible forest generates half of the oxygen generated on the planet," Chris Bowler, a marine biologist, tells Guy Raz, host of weekends on All Things Considered.
And, as climate change alters the temperature and acidity of our waters, this mysterious ocean world may be in jeopardy.