Fertilizer prices and shortages are hamstringing our farmers. But we have other options
When was the last time you bought a loaf of bread?
Agriculture
Aug 20, 2026
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Research news on nitrogen
Nitrogen is a diatomic, relatively inert gas (N₂) constituting the major component of Earth’s atmosphere and a central element in biogeochemical and ecological research topics. Scientifically, it underpins studies of the global nitrogen cycle, including biological nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and anthropogenic perturbations from fertilizer use and industrial emissions. Research on nitrogen addresses its speciation (e.g., nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, organic N), transformation pathways, and fluxes across atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic reservoirs, as well as its roles in limiting primary productivity, driving eutrophication, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions (notably N₂O), and linking to climate–carbon feedbacks and ecosystem functioning.
Liquid nitrogen may have recently flowed across Pluto's heart-shaped glacier
A new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) provides evidence that liquid nitrogen is rising to Pluto's surface through cracks at the northern edge of Sputnik Planitia, part of the massive heart-shaped glacier ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 6, 2026
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Newly unearthed mechanism that helps plants 'feel full' could help crops use fertilizer more efficiently
New York University researchers have pinpointed the molecular players responsible for plants "feeling full" once they've taken up enough nitrogen—a finding that could help scientists develop plants that absorb more nitrogen ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 2, 2026
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New methods for removing harmful nitrates from drinking water identified
Nitrate contamination of drinking water poses a major health concern, particularly in agricultural communities where fertilizers, livestock manure and septic systems can leach nitrates into groundwater. Many rural households ...
Environment
Jul 24, 2026
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Nitrate in drinking water may be linked to preterm births in New Zealand
A new Aotearoa New Zealand study has found that nitrate concentrations in drinking water are associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, even at levels well below the current drinking water standard. The study, published ...
Environment
Jul 14, 2026
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Replacing nitrogen with organic fertilizer found to improve soil and crops
A new collaborative study from The University of Western Australia has found that partially replacing synthetic nitrogen fertilizer with low amounts of organic components can improve soil quality, crop productivity and nitrogen ...
Ecology
Apr 30, 2026
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Ammonia as a clean fuel: 'Do not create a new nitrogen problem,' says researcher
Ammonia has been feeding the world for decades as a fertilizer and is now rapidly emerging as a carbon-free fuel for shipping and industry. But if we focus only on CO₂ emissions, we risk creating new nitrogen problems, warns ...
Environment
Apr 26, 2026
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Global N2Onet aims to cut farm nitrous oxide emissions with shared data
Nitrogen (N) fertilizer supports global agriculture, but its use and overuse drive emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent and long-lived trace gas. Incomplete understanding of N2O flux drivers makes it difficult to make ...
Environment
Apr 18, 2026
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From the air to the field: How nitrogen fertilizer helps feed the world—and why supply chains matter
When lightning strikes a paddock, it does more than scorch grass and scare the cows. The electrical discharge breaks apart nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere, converting them into a form that falls to Earth in rain and ...
Agriculture
Apr 15, 2026
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Study shows 20-year decline in nitrate pollution across portions of the Mississippi River Basin
A new accounting of nitrogen pollution in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) reveals a significant decline in recent decades, suggesting positive momentum for water quality goals in local watersheds and the Gulf ...
Ecology
Mar 2, 2026
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