[mathattack]

Was this a planned hack, or does this naturally occur?

My first thought was also, "Where does the CO2 come from?"

I suspect this is a very fine balance - if you're off by just a little, one or the other would die. There's not much room for error in a jar.

[duaneb]

> I suspect this is a very fine balance - if you're off by just a little, one or the other would die.

This is an illusion; it's a dialectic between the two. Problems lead to a shift in balance, not a death.

[windsurfer]

Most bacteria and plants can survive in a huge range of CO2 and O2 concentrations. Humans are the ones that cannot.

[runeks]

> I suspect this is a very fine balance - if you're off by just a little, one or the other would die. There's not much room for error in a jar.

Why would all bacteria die if there is less oxygen? I imagine the weakest bacteria would die, thereby increasing the amount of O2 per bacteria, and thus reaching equilibrium again.

[gwern]

> There's not much room for error in a jar.

Article mentions that most of the jars failed.