Is Oxygen More Important Than Food for Survival?
                                
                                
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                                    4 min read                                
                            
                                According to the well-known "Rule of Threes" in survival, a human can survive for about three minutes without oxygen, three days without water, and three weeks without food. This stark contrast in timelines immediately suggests a hierarchy of importance, with oxygen being the most vital element for human life. But what exactly makes oxygen so critically essential compared to the energy and nutrients we get from food? The answer lies in the fundamental processes of cellular metabolism.