Imagine if Earth's history had a mystery novel, and one of its biggest unsolved puzzles was: Where did all the nitrogen go?

Even without such economically catastrophic effects, the addition of nitrogen can lead to changes in biodiversity and species composition that may lead to changes in overall ecosystem function.

revealing a differentiation of functions between two of the genes that produce the enzyme key to the recycling of adenine and ...

The function of many biologically active molecules requires the presence of carbon-nitrogen bonds in strategic positions. The biosynthetic pathways leading to such bonds can be bypassed through ...

Where these elements ended up—trapped in the core, dissolved in the mantle, or lost to space—determines why the Earth looks and functions as it does today. Nitrogen is particularly enigmatic.