Phosphorus
noun
A chemical element that glows slightly in the dark and is typically present in living organisms.
Phosphorus is a critical ingredient in fertilizer.

Often appears as...
- phosphorus fertilizers
- phosphorus cycle
Usage tips
Technical
noun
A type of matches that contains phosphorus.
Early matches were dangerous because they used white phosphorus.

Often appears as...
- white phosphorus
- phosphorus matches
Usage tips
Historical
noun
A chemical element that glows slightly in the dark and is typically present in living organisms.
Phosphorus is a critical ingredient in fertilizer.

Often appears as...
- phosphorus fertilizers
- phosphorus cycle
Usage tips
Technical
noun
A type of matches that contains phosphorus.
Early matches were dangerous because they used white phosphorus.

Often appears as...
- white phosphorus
- phosphorus matches
Usage tips
Historical
Definition 1 of 2

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

Plants absorb phosphorus from the soil to grow.
Environmental Concern
Excess phosphorus in water can cause algae blooms, harming the ecosystem.

Runoff from phosphorus-rich fertilizers polluted the lake.
Natural Occurrence
Phosphorus is found in rocks and released through weathering processes.

The phosphorus cycle starts with the release from rocks.
Biological Significance
Phosphorus is vital for life; it's a part of DNA, bones, and teeth.

Plants absorb phosphorus from the soil to grow.
Environmental Concern
Excess phosphorus in water can cause algae blooms, harming the ecosystem.

Runoff from phosphorus-rich fertilizers polluted the lake.
Natural Occurrence
Phosphorus is found in rocks and released through weathering processes.

The phosphorus cycle starts with the release from rocks.
Biological Significance
Phosphorus is vital for life; it's a part of DNA, bones, and teeth.

Plants absorb phosphorus from the soil to grow.
Environmental Concern
Excess phosphorus in water can cause algae blooms, harming the ecosystem.

Runoff from phosphorus-rich fertilizers polluted the lake.
Natural Occurrence
Phosphorus is found in rocks and released through weathering processes.

The phosphorus cycle starts with the release from rocks.
Video examples
Leyla Acaroglu: Paper...
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,
Video examples
How do vitamins work? -...
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,
Video examples
Let the environment...
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.
Video examples
Introducing a New...
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
Video examples
Jonathan Foley: The...
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
Video examples
The mysterious microbes...
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.
Video examples
The Fastest Carnivorous...
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
Video examples
How to build a greener,...
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
Video examples
3 moons and a planet...
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.
Video examples
Mohamed Hijri: A simple...
but even more importantly, it needs nutrients, which it draws from the soil. Several of these nutrients are essential chemical phosphorus, nitrogen and calcium.
Video examples
Leyla Acaroglu: Paper...
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,
Video examples
How do vitamins work? -...
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,
Video examples
Let the environment...
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.
Video examples
Introducing a New...
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
Video examples
Jonathan Foley: The...
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
Video examples
The mysterious microbes...
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.
Video examples
The Fastest Carnivorous...
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
Video examples
How to build a greener,...
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
Video examples
3 moons and a planet...
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.
Video examples
Mohamed Hijri: A simple...
but even more importantly, it needs nutrients, which it draws from the soil. Several of these nutrients are essential chemical phosphorus, nitrogen and calcium.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Andrew H. Knoll
American Scientist
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.

Quote examples
Seth Shostak
American Scientist
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.

Quote examples
Andrew H. Knoll
American Scientist
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.

Quote examples
Seth Shostak
American Scientist
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.

Example 1 of 2
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