What is the name of the process by which living cells take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide?

The process by which living cells take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide is known as respiration. This is a crucial biological process that occurs in many living organisms, including animals, plants, and some microorganisms.

During respiration, cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy (in the form of ATP), water, and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is essential for aerobic respiration, which is the most common form of respiration in multicellular organisms. Once oxygen is utilized for cellular processes, carbon dioxide is produced as a waste product and is expelled from the cells.

In contrast, photosynthesis is the process used by plants and some other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of glucose, effectively taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Fermentation is an anaerobic process that also generates energy but does not require oxygen and produces different byproducts, such as alcohol or lactic acid. Transcription, on the other hand, is a cellular process related to the synthesis of RNA from a DNA template and is not directly related to the gas exchange involving oxygen and carbon dioxide.