Sulfur is a nonmetallic chemical element (atomic number 16) that plays central roles across many scientific disciplines, including geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and atmospheric chemistry. It exists in multiple allotropic and oxidation states (−2 to +6), enabling participation in redox-active cycles in terrestrial and aquatic systems. In natural environments, sulfur occurs in minerals (e.g., sulfides, sulfates), volcanic emissions, and biological compounds such as amino acids (cysteine, methionine) and coenzymes. Sulfur transformations—microbial sulfate reduction, sulfide oxidation, and disproportionation—are key processes in energy metabolism, global element cycling, and the formation of ore deposits and secondary minerals.
An estimated 500 million to 1 billion people worldwide are affected by selenium deficiency, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), working with the University ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 22, 2026
0
16
A single iron-sulfur building block directly determines whether ribosomes—the protein factories of our cells—work smoothly or not. This is the conclusion of a recent research project led by the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 17, 2025
0
19
Scientists have uncovered a surprising strategy plants use to thrive when an essential nutrient—sulfur—is in short supply.
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 10, 2025
0
27
Heme binding to a bacterial transcription factor is critical for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) signaling, report researchers from Japan. Heme binding promotes the reaction of H2S with the transcription factor, leading to structural ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 1, 2025
0
24
An international team of scientists led by microbiologists Marc Mussmann and Alexander Loy from the University of Vienna has discovered a new microbial metabolism: so-called MISO bacteria "breathe" iron minerals by oxidizing ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 28, 2025
0
39
For decades, astrochemists have been looking for sulfur atoms in space and finding surprisingly little of the element that is a key ingredient to life. A new study could point to where it has been hiding.
Astrobiology
Aug 11, 2025
0
152
An international team of scientists have provided an unprecedented tally of elemental sulfur spread between the stars using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) spacecraft.
Astronomy
Jul 23, 2025
0
33
RIKEN chemists have hit upon a fast and easy way to combine so-called nanobelts of carbon with sulfur-containing functional groups. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Nanomaterials
May 9, 2025
0
73
The chemical element sulfur is essential for all lifeforms and is a building block of proteins and amino acids. By studying sulfur-based molecules in space, scientists are working to understand the chemical processes that ...
Astrobiology
Mar 20, 2025
0
49
If you look at a map of lightning near the Port of Singapore, you'll notice an odd streak of intense lightning activity right over the busiest shipping lane in the world. As it turns out, the lightning really is responding ...
Environment
Mar 11, 2025
0
99
