• DOI:10.1126/SCIENCE.283.5410.2015
Corpus ID: 28106949

A Potential Phosphate Crisis

@article{Abelson1999APP,
  title={A Potential Phosphate Crisis},
  author={P. Abelson},
  journal={Science},
  year={1999},
  volume={283},
  pages={2015 - 2015}
}

• P. Abelson
• Published 1999
• Medicine, Biology
• Science

Phosphate is a crucial component of DNA, RNA, ATP, and other biologically active compounds. Microbes, plants, and animals—including humans—cannot exist without it. Rocks containing phosphate have been discovered and are being mined at minimal cost. But resources are limited, and phosphate is being dissipated. Future generations ultimately will face problems in obtaining enough to exist. The current major use of phosphate is in fertilizers. Growing crops remove it and other nutrients from the… Expand