Nitrogen is vital for all known life. Yet most nitrogen on Earth is in the atmosphere as di-nitrogen gas, which many organisms can’t use. Fortunately, there are microbes that can tap into this ...

Nitrogen is essential for all life on Earth. In the global oceans, however, this element is scarce, and nitrogen availability is therefore critical for the growth of marine life. Some bacteria found ...

NORFOLK, Va. — When most people think of lightning, they picture bright flashes in the sky or the rumble of thunder that follows. But lightning does more than put on a show during storms: it helps ...

Heterocyst differentiation constitutes a pivotal developmental process in filamentous cyanobacteria, allowing these organisms to sidestep the oxygen sensitivity of the nitrogenase enzyme. Under ...

The shrinking sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is, overall, a disaster. But paradoxically, the melting of the ice can also fuel the engine of the Arctic food chains: algae. Algae are the main food source ...

Research into bacteria strains that are both competitive and efficient in nitrogen fixation and developing plants with those characteristics is the goal of NDSU research started in October 2024.

Contemporary industrial nitrogen fixation largely relies on the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process, which operates under extremely high temperatures and pressures. Subscribe to our newsletter for ...

A genetic 'off switch' that shuts down the process in which legume plants convert atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients has been identified for the first time by a team of international scientists. A ...