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SHIFT OF FOCUS. "Since 1970, reactive nitrogen production has increased 120% while world population has increased 79%. Our focus on the world nitrogen cycle has shifted from food production to the environmental consequences of nitrogen fertilizers."" " http://lnkd.in/dyTYptE View in LinkedIn

GLOBAL N CYCLE ALTERED BY MAN. "As a consequence of anthropogenic inputs, the global nitrogen cycle has been significantly altered over the past century. Global atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) mole fractions have increased from a pre-industrial value of ~270 nmol/mol to ~319 nmol/mol in 2005. Human activities account for over one-third of N2O emissions, most of which are due to the agricultural sector."" " http://lnkd.in/de_n6xw View in LinkedIn

N2 FIXATION AND SYNBIO: "researchers will begin a program of novel research to revolutionize current farming methods by giving crops the ability to thrive without using costly, polluting manufactured fertilizers. Projects include: searching the planet for a lost bacterium with special properties; using synthetic biology to create a new intracellular machine allowing plants to produce fertilizer themselves; and engineering beneficial relationships between plants and microbes."" " http://lnkd.in/dMJkqUx View in LinkedIn

NITROGEN FIXATION is at the heart of the centuries-old practice of crop rotation, to ensure nitrogenation of the soil. Symbiotic bacteria in plants like clover turn atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, critical for plant growth. There is the real possibility to engineer plants that do not fix nitrogen to make their own natural fertilizer. View in LinkedIn

HUGE NITROGEN FIX. "Plants need nitrogen to grow, and by 2015, more than 190.4 million tons of it will be needed to supply the world’s food. Most farms rely on great quantities of industrially-produced, nitrogen-rich fertilizer to ensure crop yields, but doing so comes with trade-offs."" " http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130823-abi.html View in LinkedIn

COSTS OF ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZERS. "(They) are produced using vast amounts of fossil fuel. They also generate environmental problems from degrading soil to runoff into rivers where they pollute fresh waters and coastal zones. As a result, crops need an alternative from which they can gather needed nitrogen."" " http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130823-abi.html View in LinkedIn

GATES AND OTHERS FUND SYNTHETIC NITROGEN FIXATION. "Major investment to persuade bacteria to help cereals self-fertilise." "Coverage relating to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation investment to JIC science to persuade bacteria to help cereals self-fertilise" "Curated by John Innes Centre."" " http://lnkd.in/ddqucRi View in LinkedIn

NITROGEN FIXATION is the subject of the next series of postings. The extent to which humans can harness natural nitrogen production rather than the massive use of oil-derived fertilizers will play a big part in defining how successful we are in feeding the future generations, and sparing the environment from the catastrophic effects of our pollution. View in LinkedIn

BIOCHEMICAL MACHINERY EXISTS in cereals for nitrogen engineering. "The knowledge gained in legumes reveals that much of the machinery necessary for nodulation signalling is present in cereals and engineering the perception of rhizobial bacteria is likely simpler than initially anticipated."" " https://www.ensa.ac.uk/scientific-background/informing-scientists/engineering-nitrogen-fixing-cereals/ View in LinkedIn

BIG SCIENCE INITIATIVES have included the Manhattan Project, the Space Race, the War on Cancer, giant Particle colliders, and the Human Genome Initiative. Now there is the US Brain Initiative of $3 Bn over ten years, the same sum as the Human Genome Initiative. The hand-wringers are already muttering in the gloom, but the fact remains that the outcomes are never predictable and are always full of unanticipated surprises." " http://lnkd.in/diANarb View in LinkedIn