Posted on by

Whether it is a microscopically-small bacterium, a 90-metre-tall Redwood Tree, a 750-legged millipede or just a human, it is well known water and carbon compounds are critical molecules for survival. However, in addition to these elements (oxygen, hydrogen and carbon), nitrogen cannot be forgotten as an essential element to life itself. Nitrogen’s importance should not be surprising, considering that ~78% of the atmospheric make-up of this planet is gaseous nitrogen. It would be implausible not to have it as a building block for life on Earth when it is in such great abundance. The GreenSat team is currently working on an exciting project investigating nitrogen processes and its importance in agriculture, with the potential of growing crops for human consumption in space.

Nitrogen’s importance cannot be underplayed. For example, it is a fundamental component that makes up DNA. DNA consists of four nitrogenous1 bases (Fig 1) and these four units attribute to making every living being on this planet unique. DNA’s two strands (Fig 2) contain a unique line of code made of these four bases: A, C, G, and T (Fig 1). It is the combination of these units and the unique sequences they are in that makes up genes and genomes of whole organisms. The sequence of these bases in DNA is the fundamental difference between a human and a mouse, or a human and a banana (although the genetic similarity between a human and a mouse is ~90% and between a human and a banana is 50%!). In addition to making up DNA’s structure, nitrogen is essential to life because it is a component in the structure of proteins-includes enzymes that break down the food we eat and antibodies that fight diseases that invade our bodies (Fig 3).

 

Diagram representing the molecular structure four nitrogenous bases that make up DNA. (Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine)
Fig 1: The four nitrogenous bases that make up DNA. The units A, T, C and G are known as Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine respectively. They all contain nitrogen as seen, however each has a different number or positioning of nitrogen on the carbon rings.

 

Diagram breaking down DNA into strands and then showing how the nitrogen bases exist in those strands.
Fig 2: DNA’s structure is a double helix, represented by the two ribbon-like strands (i). The nitrogenous bases that run over the entire length of both strands of DNA are opposite each other on each strand and are what bond the two strands together(ii). One base is on one strand of DNA and the other complimentary base is opposite on the other strand of DNA. The bases pair together A with T and G with C, held together by hydrogen bonds (iii).

 

The irony is that even though this life-depended element may be the majority of the atmosphere’s composition, the vast majority of living organisms (including humans) cannot obtain and use it from the air. All atmospheric nitrogen that is taken in when we breathe is just exhaled again. Nitrogen in the atmosphere exists as a gas, N2, with a triple bond between two nitrogen molecules and this gaseous, stable and inert state cannot be broken down by most living organisms because it requires a lot of energy to pull this molecule apart and use the nitrogen atoms.

Nitrogen helps make up protein structures including those that make antibodies.
Fig 3: Nitrogen is in many proteins that we need to survive. Proteins are structural chains made in our cells and are usually represented as curled helix and coils (left). They form very specific structures despite looking like a chaotic mess, and an example of a very important protein is an antibody (right). There are many different types of antibodies and each with their own unique shape especially designed to attack a specific disease as shown.

 

Humans and other mammals can only take in nitrogen when it is in an organic form (Fig 4). All the nitrogen that animals need and use is made accessible by bacteria (also known as harmless ‘bugs’) living in soils. They are the only living things that can take gaseous nitrogen from the air and combining it with hydrogen or other elements to make inorganic compounds (Fig 4). These compounds are subsequently taken up from the soils through the roots of plants, such as vegetables or grasses, and turned into usable organic compounds for building DNA or proteins. The process by which bacteria can convert gaseous nitrogen into inorganic compounds (such as ammonia) is known as nitrogen fixation and is carried out by multiple specific groups of bacteria known as nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Fig 4). It is because of these bacteria we get our nitrogen source, whether it is directly eating plant products (such as vegetables) or through eating livestock and other animals (such as fish) that have eaten plant matter, thus carrying the nitrogen through the food chain. Without these bacteria that live in soils we would not be able to get the nitrogen source we need to stay alive and healthy.

 

 

Atmospheric Nitrogen is transformed by nitrogen-fixing bacteria into inorganic nitrogen compounds which are then transformed into organic componds by plants.
Fig 4: Simple diagram of nitrogen fixation showing different nitrogen states created firstly by bacteria and secondly by plants.The organic compounds can then be obtained by organisms such as mammals (e.g. humans) when consuming plants such as cereal crops (e.g. corn).

GreenSat is currently focusing on the potential of nitrogen-fixing bacteria due to the vital process of nitrogen fixation in agriculture. Nitrogen is a fundamentally important element to life on Earth and we cannot exist without it- although this cannot be necessarily said for life on other planets without a nitrogen-rich atmosphere. Nevertheless, from a huge ecosystem narrowed down to an individual species, to a single organism, to a small cell and lastly to DNA, nitrogen is abundant and necessary for life on Earth.

1containing nitrogen

– Scarlett Li-Williams

 

Posted on by

Whilst one would think an ecology and molecular biology student would feel daunted and lost at an Astronautical Conference it has actually been both an enjoyable and educational experience so far (see our previous blogs). Admittedly, at the start it was a little bewildering trying to navigate around the labyrinth of exhibits plastered with unrecognisable words associated with space technology. In one incident we, Jess, Yasmin A and I (the only non-engineers in the GreenSat party attending the IAC), managed to find ourselves in a position where we could only slowly nod our heads in agreement as we had an exhibitor persistently tell us about his new advancements in thermal control systems for satellites. I shan’t even attempt to expand on what he explained to us.

NextAero Aerospike Engine
What on Earth is this?

However, it has been a very pleasantly surprising experience to have professionals within these industries and other students from other institutions being enthusiastically curious and willing to hear about the biological aspects of the GreenSat project. Whilst most talk sessions and presentations so far have been somewhat inaccessible to me due to their technical terminology and content, on Wednesday morning (at the begrudgingly early start time of 7am) I dragged myself to attend the ‘First Woman on the Moon-Diversity Breakfast’ talk session along with two other GreenSat members (who also happened to be other female members on the GreenSat team). Despite the excessive complaining I know I carried out about my lack of sleep and need for caffeine, the talk was undoubtedly an incredibly worthwhile endeavour. There is no sugar coating the reality of the situation either, this talk had the best gender balance ratio I have seen so far on the trip; with nearly-nearly, almost half the room being women!

First Women on the Moon Breakfast
Jaxa bringing biology to the stars

Before launching into the session, the welcome started with the President of the IAF, Dr Jean-Yves Le Gall, talking about the potential historical significance of the first woman on the moon, but the questioning of what the first woman would represent really took off with Steve Durst, Founding Director of the International Lunar Observatory Association. He brought to everyone’s attention that there has been a total of 60 woman in space, but of those none have walked on the moon compared to the 12 men who have. He began to question what a female on the moon would represent, whether she would represent a nationality, a professional background or an age too, would it be another giant leap for mankind? Whilst he did not emphasise on a definitive conclusion, it was easily interpretable the unfortunate reality is the ‘great leap’ may be more of a ‘little pounce’ for the first woman on the moon. Professor Jan Woerner, Director General of the European Space Agency, dazzling everyone with vibrant and humorous slides even referenced that moon itself is considered to have a feminine identity (including ‘la lune’ in French being a feminine noun and he even referred to the Maya moon goddess).

The truly impacting ideas from the breakfast however came from the two final speakers; Danielle Richey from Lockheed Martin and Dr. Sandy Magnus, Executive Director of AIAA and astronaut. Together, these two prominent, inspirational and determined women simultaneously balanced the same conceptual thinking and complimented one other in a powerful way, conveying the very significant message of the necessity of diversity within not just the space industry but in all industries. They both, carefully selecting their words, created their own concept of equality and diversity to ensure as much inclusivity and cementing the idea that diversity does not just come from the fact that there is representation but from having a collectively rich source of experiences and knowledge. Their talks were greatly crafted as they both brought up how diversity within a team also includes more energy requirement, more stepping out of the comfort zone and more open-mindedness.  A memorable part of the talk by Dr. Sandy Magnus was she said that a diverse team means: “a richer source of solutions…. because each person’s tackling of a problem is different…. creating a more creative and stronger community”. The key challenges that building a diverse team, community or industry faces is the “breaking down of stereotypes and most importantly being able to listen”.

First Women on the Moon Breakfast
Man on the moon is so 1969

It is safe to say that, even though I very much look forward to the days yet to come (especially since there will be many talks coming soon on astrobiology and biology), this talk was a highlight because whether it is the field of engineering, science, business or arts, these principles of equality and diversity are translatable to any area of life. It may not have been the most popular or technical talk at the IAC but I personally found it an incredible session as society and teams are what hold projects and progression together.