Porterfield, A. (2018, November 20). Can genetic engineering deliver a natural microbial fertilizer for crops? Retrieved from https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2018/11/20/can-genetic-engineering-deliver-a-natural-microbial-fertilizer-for-crops/

Scientists across the country are looking into genetically modifying nitrogen-fixing bacteria so as to allow them to fix nitrogen on the roots of many different plants, instead of only some legumes and other plants. Recent developments have identified at least 20 genes responsible for nitrogen fixation. A company called Joyn has recently moved into an “160,000 square foot lab in Sacramento, California, devoted to experiments on creating a wider array of effective bacteria that could fix nitrogen.”

This relates to environmental science because the use of synthetic fertilizers in agriculture has become a topic of concern given the pollution that occurs with runoff. Run off from land in which synthetic fertilizer is heavily used often creates hypoxia zones, like that in the Gulf of Mexico. If these scientists are successful, this technology has the potential to greatly reduce or eliminate the use of synthetic fertilizers, and therefore solving an environmental problem related to pollutants.