9 results for “nitrogen”

1. Planet Earth

   The Atmosphere

   nitrogen, that keeps us warm, shields us from radiation and burns up the rocks that fall

   Article · 4 min read

   

2. Plants & Fungi

   Carnivorous Plants

   nitrogen and phosphorus, which every plant needs to build proteins and DNA, are nearly absent. Sunlight

   Article · 4 min read

   

3. Chemistry

   The Chemistry of Life

   nitrogen, plus a little phosphorus and sulphur, and you have almost everything a living thing is made

   Article · 3 min read

   

4. Life & Biology

   Bacteria and Viruses

   nitrogen from the air, which plants cannot use, and convert it into forms plants can absorb

   Article · 4 min read

   

5. Planets & the Solar System

   Uranus and Neptune

   nitrogen gas blasting dark material eight kilometres into its thin atmosphere. Triton is slowly spiralling inward

   Article · 4 min read

   

6. Plants & Fungi

   Fungi

   nitrogen and minerals to the soil, where plants take them up again. The soil itself, dark

   Article · 4 min read

   

7. Planets & the Solar System

   Comets, Asteroids and Pluto

   nitrogen ice churning in slow convection cells, glaciers, possible ice volcanoes and a thin blue atmosphere

   Article · 4 min read

   

8. Planets & the Solar System

   Saturn

   nitrogen, like ours, but half again as dense, and laced with methane and other hydrocarbons that

   Article · 4 min read

   

9. Planet Earth

   Volcanoes

   nitrogen themselves were largely outgassed by ancient volcanoes. Without them Earth would be a frozen, airless

   Article · 4 min read