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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

ARTIFICIAL N2 FIXING. "This process will require engineering cereals for nodule organogenesis and infection by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The symbiosis signalling pathway is essential to establish both bacterial infection and nodule organogenesis in legumes and is also necessary for the establishment of mycorrhizal colonisation. However, establishing a fully function nitrogen-fixing symbiosis in cereals will probably require additional genetic engineering for bacterial colonisation and nodule organogenesis."" " http://lnkd.in/dzTQmQj View in LinkedIn

EC BRAIN AND GRAPHENE INITIATIVES. "Brain-simulation and graphene projects win billion-euro competition. Each project expects to receive €1 billion (US$1.3 billion) over ten years, half to be provided by the European Commission and half by participants. The commission will make a formal announcement of the winners on 28 January."" " http://lnkd.in/djz8kEZ View in LinkedIn

BIOENGINEERING NITROGEN FIXATION. "Innoculation of Arabidopsis, alfalfa, tall fescue and maize with Pf-5 X940 increased the ammonium concentration in soil and plant productivity under nitrogen-deficient conditions. In conclusion, these results open the way to the production of effective recombinant inoculants for nitrogen fixation on a wide range of crops."" " http://lnkd.in/dg2Pi_e View in LinkedIn

MULTIBILLION DOLLAR WORLD BRAIN INITIATIVES. "Under the aegis of the European Commission. The Human Brain Project targets a full computer simulation of the body’s master controller within 10 years—incorporating the findings from an array of projects, ranging from analyses of cognition in mice and men to building faster supercomputers. Other brain initiatives in China, Israel and Australia are underway." The US also has a brain initiative of $3 Bn over 10 years. " " http://lnkd.in/dAYb8US View in LinkedIn