With the ocean levels sure to rise in the next few centuries it’s probably a good idea for humans to get a handle on the whole breathing underwater thing, either that or it’s to the moon, Alice!
Good thing scientists are already hard at work developing a microparticle filled with oxygen that can be injected into the bloodstream, so we can live on without breathing and possibly live out our dreams of becoming Aquaman.
Here's how this scientific step forward in un-breathing works:
Scientists have developed a new microparticle filled with oxygen that can be injected into the blood stream, keeping you alive even if you can’t intake air into your lungs. The microparticles are actually tiny capsules (2-4 micrometers tiny) made of a single layer of lipids surrounding a small bubble of oxygen gas. The capsule is suspended in a liquid so that the bubbles don’t get any bigger (which would make them deadly, FYI).
Upon injecting the capsule-filled liquid into the bloodstream, the capsules crash into your red blood cells, transferring the oxygen gas from the capsule to the cell. About 70% of the oxygen injected successfully makes its way into the blood stream this way.
-Via Geekosystem
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Tri-ox_compound