{"id":5963,"date":"2023-04-04T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=5963"},"modified":"2023-03-23T16:05:11","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T16:05:11","slug":"new-evidence-suggests-nitrogen-played-a-key-role-in-the-rise-of-complex-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/new-evidence-suggests-nitrogen-played-a-key-role-in-the-rise-of-complex-life\/","title":{"rendered":"New Evidence Suggests Nitrogen Played a Key Role In the Rise of Complex Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Scientists from Virginia Tech<\/a> have found evidence that biologically available nitrogen may have played a vital role in the evolution of marine eukaryotes, organisms whose cells have a nucleus. This group of organisms evolved into multicellular creatures and is credited with ushering in a new era for life on Earth, including animals, plants, and fungi. The study, published in Science Advances<\/em><\/a>, sheds new light on the role of nitrogen in this evolution, which had previously been attributed to phosphorus.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Samples of carbonate rock taken from the North China Craton can be seen in the image above. (Franusich<\/a>\/Virginia Tech, 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Junyao Kang<\/a>, a doctoral student in the Department of Geosciences<\/a>, led the study, collaborating with Nanjing University<\/a> in China. The team used nitrogen isotope analysis of rock samples from the North China Craton, once covered by an ocean and contained rocks dating back 3.8 billion years ago. Kang’s analysis revealed an increase in nitrates around 800 million years ago, coinciding with eukaryotes’ rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lead author Junyao Kang poses with one of the rock samples from the North China Craton. (Franusich<\/a>\/Virginia Tech, 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kang stated that the data was unique since “nitrogen isotope data are virtually nonexistent from the early Neoproterozoic [era].” The team’s findings were made possible through a collaborative, international approach that connected new data with biological events, particularly the rise of eukaryotes. The study’s authors emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary research and open-access publications in scientific discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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