Andrew H. Knoll

If you look at the ecological circuitry of this planet, the ways in which materials like carbon or sulfur or phosphorous or nitrogen get cycled in ways that makes them available for our biology, the organisms that do the heavy lifting are bacteria.

American Scientist

Seth Shostak

We're not just any star stuff, most of which is humdrum hydrogen and listless helium. Our bodies include fancier ingredients like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, and a few other herbs and spices.

Phosphorus is vital for life; it's a part of DNA, bones, and teeth.

Biological Significance

Excess phosphorus in water can cause algae blooms, harming the ecosystem.

Environmental Concern

Phosphorus is found in rocks and released through weathering processes.

Natural Occurrence

White phosphorus matches are no longer used due to health risks.

Obsolete Usage

Manufacturers switched to safer chemicals in matches to replace phosphorus.

Transformation

Phossy jaw was a deadly disease among match workers caused by white phosphorus.

Historic Danger

 and looking at all sorts of things like that. But essentially, this is a big problem. Because when we lose something like the lettuce from the system, not only do we have that impact I just explained at the end of life, but we actually have had to grow that lettuce. The life cycle impact of that lettuce is astronomical. We've had to clear land. We've had to plant seeds, phosphorus,

Leyla Acaroglu: Paper...

 a kind of tissue that forms bones and teeth and heals wounds. Vitamin A helps make white blood cells, key in the body's defense, helps shape bones and improves vision by keeping the cells of the eye in check. Vitamin D gathers calcium and phosphorus so we can make bones, and vitamin E works as an antioxidant,

How do vitamins work? -...

 the rate of biodiversity loss, which is the sixth extinction period in the history of humanity -- one of them being the extinctions of the dinosaurs -- nitrogen and climate change. But we still have some degrees of freedom on the others, but we are approaching fast on land, water, phosphorus and oceans.

Let the environment...

 sort of vibrations that show through in the camera I can actually smell you can smell the nitrogen in the air from the Lightning it's interesting with the nitrogen cycle that aids in plant growth a lot of plants need nitrogen they need nitrogen and phosphorus in particular a

Introducing a New...

 We've doubled the flows of nitrogen and phosphorus around the world simply by using fertilizers, causing huge problems of water quality from rivers, lakes, and even oceans, and it's also the single biggest driver of biodiversity loss. So without a doubt, agriculture is

Jonathan Foley: The...

 Some things are actually easier for them to get. They're more abundant inside the earth, like water or nutrients, like nitrogen and iron and phosphorus, or places to live. These are things that we literally kill each other to get ahold of up at the surface world.

The mysterious microbes...

 two meters in length as blood awards often live in nutrient-poor environments eating prey like small crustaceans and insect larvae give the bladder water vital source of nitrogen and phosphorus engulfing their prey in less than a millisecond

The Fastest Carnivorous...

 emissions on phosphorus depletion on nitrogen pollution on biodiversity loss on ecosystem degradation the list goes why is this I think this is because we really haven't paid enough attention to

How to build a greener,...

 nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur -- they were all there. So Mars in its past, with a lot of water, perhaps plenty of time, could have had life, could have had that spark, could have grown.

3 moons and a planet...

 but even more importantly, it needs nutrients, which it draws from the soil. Several of these nutrients are essential chemical phosphorus, nitrogen and calcium.

Phosphorus

Biological Significance

Environmental Concern

Natural Occurrence

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