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.
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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A team led by Prof. Liu Xueyan from the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new plant-soil nitrogen isotope process model that quantifies the fractional contribution of three nitrogen ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 14, 2025
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64
The high nitrogen pollution in Europe has many negative consequences: nitrogen dioxide and ammonia worsen air quality, nitrogen deposition in soils reduces biodiversity and leads to the eutrophication and acidification of ...
Environment
Aug 26, 2025
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36
Forests, grasslands, and other natural areas around the world have access to about a quarter less nitrogen than previously estimated, according to a new study published in Nature.
Ecology
Jul 16, 2025
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41
A research team has reported the successful synthesis of high-purity, tunable nitrogen (N)-substituted MAX precursors and the resultant MXene two-dimensional (2D) materials—a first in the world.
Nanomaterials
May 30, 2025
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87
Imagine if Earth's history had a mystery novel, and one of its biggest unsolved puzzles was: Where did all the nitrogen go? Scientists have long known that our planet's rocky outer layers—the mantle—are oddly poor in nitrogen ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 11, 2025
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41
Along with nitrogen and carbon, phosphorus is an essential element for life on Earth. It is a central component of molecules such as DNA and RNA, which serve to transmit and store genetic information, and ATP (adenosine triphosphate), ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 25, 2025
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43
Living organisms need nitrogen as a central building block for protein formation, for example. However, although our atmosphere contains plenty of nitrogen, neither humans nor the vast majority of plants can absorb it directly ...
Astrobiology
Feb 27, 2025
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84
Recently, carbon-based catalysts—especially nitrogen-doped nanocarbons—have emerged as sustainable, reliable alternatives to the metal catalysts traditionally used to support chemical reactions.
Nanomaterials
Feb 6, 2024
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78
A research team led by Prof. Wang Xianlong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has discovered a new method to improve the stability of diamane synthesized by-high pressure ...
Nanophysics
Jun 30, 2022
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