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

> 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.

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

Article mentions that most of the jars failed.

> 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.