Nitrogen fixation is the biological process by which atmospheric dinitrogen gas (N₂) is reduced to bioavailable ammonia (NH₃), primarily by prokaryotes possessing the nitrogenase enzyme complex. This ATP-intensive reaction requires strong reducing power and functions only under conditions that protect nitrogenase from irreversible inactivation by oxygen, achieved via specialized cells (heterocysts), microaerobic environments, or respiratory protection. Nitrogen fixation occurs in free-living and symbiotic bacteria and archaea, including rhizobia in legume root nodules, and constitutes a key entry point of inert atmospheric nitrogen into the biosphere, supporting primary productivity and influencing global nitrogen cycling.
Researchers are one step closer to understanding how some plants survive without nitrogen. Their work could eventually reduce the need for artificial fertilizer in crops such as wheat, maize, or rice.
Molecular & Computational biology
Nov 6, 2025
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323
Nitrogen-based fertilizers are essential for modern agriculture, and compounds like ammonia and urea are also widely used in industry. However, their conventional production and use pose major environmental challenges.
Biotechnology
Oct 31, 2025
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95
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.
Ecology
Oct 20, 2025
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87
In a new study, scientists have shown that chemical receptors that plants use to recognize nitrogen-fixing bacteria have developed the same function independently on at least three separate occasions through a process called ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 30, 2025
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149
In a new study, scientists used nearly every tool in their toolkit—genomics, transcriptomics, greenhouse experiments and advanced statistical methods—to gain new insight into the complex chemical interactions that take place ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 28, 2025
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97
Freshwater and coastal waters may cover just a small portion of the planet, but they turn out to be powerful contributors to nitrogen fixation, a natural process essential to life on Earth.
Ecology
Jul 21, 2025
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28
A research team led by Prof. Zhang Haimin from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has reported their discovery of dodecanethiol-modified metallic rhodium (Rh) for high-performance ...
Nanomaterials
Jul 18, 2022
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85
Ammonia (NH3) is a major component in fertilizer and a promising carbon-free energy carrier. However, ammonia production consumes around 2 percent of the world's total energy production and releases 500 Mt of carbon dioxide ...
Nanophysics
Oct 27, 2021
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