Opportunity and shift of nitrogen use in China

It is never an easy task for China to feed 1.4 billion people with only 7%of the world's arable land.With nearly 30%of the world's nitrogen(N)fertilizer applied,China achieves high crop yields while facing N pollution result-ing from excessive N input.Here,we calculate the farmland N budget on the national and regional scales.The N use efficiency(NUE)in China increased by 28.0%during 2005-2018.This improvement is due to the reduction in fertilization and the improvement of crop management.The fragmented farmland is changing to large-scale farmland with the increase in cultivated land area per rural population and the development of agricultural mech-anization.This opportunity brings more possibilities for precision farmland management,thus further improving NUE.The goal of an NUE of 0.6 may be achieved in the 2040s based on the current development trend.This striking N use shift in China has important implications for other developing countries.

Astrobiological Constraints on Astrophysics

Life exists in the universe and therefore the astrophysical properties of the universe must be such that they allow the origin of life. We connect astrobiology and astrophysics via one astrobiological quantity—the probability of the origin of life. We show how this probability, if it is very low, will allow us to answer profound astrophysical questions such as the type of universe we live in, the fate of our universe, whether neutron stars, white and brown dwarfs evaporate and whether protons decay.

Rapid accuracy determining DNA purity and concentration in heavy oils by spectrophotometry methods

DNA analysis is the core of biotechnology applied in petroleum resources and engineering. Traditionally accurate determination of DNA purity and concentration by spectrometer is the first and critical step for downstream molecular biology research. In this study, three different spectrophotometry methods, BPM, NDTT and NPMTTZ were compared for their performance in determining DNA concentration and purity in 32 oil samples, and molecule methods like quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and high-throughput sequence were also performed to help assess the accuracy of the three methods in determining DNA concentration and purity. For ordinary heavy oil (OHO), extra heavy oil (EHO) and super heavy oil (SHO), the characteristics of high viscosity (η), density (ρ) and resin plus asphaltene content will affect the DNA extraction and UV determination. The DNA concentration was decreased as density increased: OHO (11.46 ± 18.34 ng/μL), EHO (6.68 ± 9.67 ng/μL) and SHO (6.20 ± 7.83 ng/μL), and the DNA purity was on the reverse: OHO (1.31 ± 0.27), EHO (1.54 ± 0.20), and SHO (1.83 ± 0.32). The results suggest that spectrophotometry such as BPM and NPMTTZ are qualitatively favorite methods as the quick non-consumable methods in determining DNA concentration and purity of medium oil and heavy oil.

A review of the microbiology of the Rehai geothermal field in Tengchong,Yunnan Province,China

The Rehai Geothermal Field, located in Tengchong County, in central-western Yunnan Prov- ince, is the largest and most intensively studied geothermal field in China. A wide physicochemical diversity of springs （ambient to -97 ℃; pH from 〈1.8 to≥9.3） provides a multitude of niches for extremophilic microorganisms. A variety of studies have focused on the cultivation, identification, basic physiology, taxonomy, and biotechnological potential of thermophilic microorganisms from Rehai. Ther- mophilic bacteria isolated from Rehai belong to the phyla Firmicutes and Deinococcus-Thermus. Firmicutes include neutrophilic or alkaliphilic Anoxybacillus, Bacillus, Caldalkalibacillus, Caldanaerobacter, Laceyella, and Geobacillus, as well as thermoacidophilic Alicyclobacillus and Sulfobacillus. Isolates from the Deinococcus-Thermus phylum include several Meiothermus and Thermus species. Many of these bacteria synthesize thermostable polymer-degrading enzymes that may be useful for biotech- nology. The thermoacidophilic archaea Acidianus, Metallosphaera, and Sulfolobus have also been isolated and studied. A few studies have reported the isolation of thermophilic viruses belonging to Siphoviridae （TTSP4 and TTSP10） and Fuselloviridae （STSV1） infecting Thermus spp. and Sulfolobus spp., respectively. More recently, cultivation-independent studies using 16S rRNA gene sequences, shotgun metagenomics, or ＂＇functional gene＂ sequences have revealed a mtlch broader diversity of micro- organisms than represented in culture. Studies of the gene and mRNA encoding 113e large subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase （amoA） of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea （AOA） and the tetraether lipid cre- narchaeol, a potential hiomarker for AOA, suggest a wide diversity, but possibly low abundance, of ther- mophilic AOA in Rehai. Finally, we introduce the Tengchong Partnerships in International Research and Education （P1RE） project, an international collaboration between Chinese and U.S. scientists with the goal of promoting international and interdisciplinary cooperation to gain a more holistic and gh〉bal view of life in te^estrial geothermal springs.

Microbial diversity in cold seep sediments from the northern South China Sea

South China Sea （SCS） is the largest Western Pacific marginal sea. However, microbial studies have never been performed in the cold seep sediments in the SCS. In 2004, ＂SONNE＂ 177 cruise found two cold seep areas with different water depth in the northern SCS. Haiyang 4 area, where the water depth is around 3000 m, has already been confirmed for active seeping on the seafloor, such as microbial mats, authigenic carbonate crusts and bivalves. We investigated microbial abundance and diver- sity in a 5.55-m sediment core collected from this cold seep area. An integrated approach was employed including geochemistry and 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analyses. Here, we show that microbial abun- dance and diversity along with geochemistry profiles of the sediment core revealed a coupled reaction between sulphate reduction and methane oxidation. Acridine orange direct count results showed that microbial abundance ranges from 105 to 106 cells/g sediment （wet weight）. The depth-related variation of the abundance showed the same trend as the methane concentration profile. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the presence of sulphate-reducing bacteria and anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea. The diver- sity was much higher at the surface, but decreased sharply with depth in response to changes in the geochemical conditions of the sediments, such as methane, sulphate concentration and total organic carbon. Marine Benthic Group B, Chloroflexi and JS1 were predominant phylotypes of the archaeal and bacterial libraries, respectively.

16s rDNA based microbial diversity analysis of eleven acid mine drainages obtained from three Chinese copper mines

Eleven acid mine drainage （AMD） samples were obtained from southeast of China for the analysis of the microbial communities diversity, and the relationship with geochemical variables and spatial distance by using a culture-independent 16S rDNA gene phylogenetic analysis approach and multivariate analysis respectively. The principle component analysis （PCA） of geochemical variables shows that eleven AMDs can be clustered into two groups, relative high and low metal rich （RHMR and RLMR） AMDs. Total 1691 clone sequences are obtained and the detrended correspondence analysis （DCA） of operational taxonomic units （OTUs） shows that, ~,-Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes and Nitrospirae are dominant species in RHMR AMDs. In contrast, a-Proteobacteria, fl-Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes and Bacteriodetes are dominant species in RLMR AMD. Results also show that high-abundance putative iron-oxidizing and only putative sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms are found in RHMR AMD. Multivariate analysis shows that both geochemical variables （r=0.429 3, P=-0.037 7） and spatial distance （r=0.321 3, P=-0.018 1） are significantly positively correlated with microbial community and pH, Mg, Fe, S, Cu and Ca are key geochemistry factors in shaping microbial community. Variance partitioning analysis shows that geochemical variables and spatial distance can explain most （92%） of the variation.

Distribution of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers in Tibetan hot springs

Isoprenoidal glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers （iGDGTs） from the Gulu hot springs （23--83.6 ℃, pH 〉 7） and Yangbajing hot springs （80-128 ℃, pH 〉 7） were analyzed in order to investigate the distribution of archaeal lipids among different hot springs in Tibet. A soil sample from Gulu was incubated at different temperatures and analyzed for changes in iGDGTs to help evaluate whether surrounding soil may contribute to the iGDGTs in hot springs. The sources of bacterial GDGTs （bGDGTs） in these hot springs were also investigated. The results revealed different profiles ofiGDGTs between Gulu and Yangbajing hot springs. Core iGDGTs and polar iGDGTs also presented different patterns in each hot spring. The PCA analysis showed that the structure of polar iGDGTs can be explained by three factors and suggested multiple sources of these compounds. Bivariate correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations between polar and core bGDGTs, suggesting the in situ production of bGDGTs in the hot springs. Furthermore, in the soil incubation experiment, temperature had the most significant influence on concentration of bGDGTs rather than iGDGTs, and polar bGDGTs had greater variability than core bGDGTs with changing temperature. Our results indicated that soil input had little influence on the composition of GDGTs in Tibetan hot springs.

Geomicrobiological processes in extreme environments： A review

The last decade has seen an extraordinary growth of Geomicrobiology. Microorganisms have been studied in numerous extreme environments on Earth, ranging from crystalline rocks from the deep subsurface, ancient sedimentary rocks and hypersaline lakes, to dry deserts and deep-ocean hydrothermal vent systems. In light of this recent progress, we review several currently active research frontiers： deep continental subsurface micro- biology, microbial ecology in saline lakes, microbial formation of dolomite, geomicrobiology in dry deserts, fossil DNA and its use in recovery of paleoenviron- mental conditions, and geomicrobiology of oceans. Throughout this article we emphasize geomicrobiological processes in these extreme environments.

Rapid aerobic granulation using biochar for the treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater

Aerobic granular sludge technology has great potential for the treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater.However,strategies to shorten the granulation time and improvement the stability still need to be developed.In this work,biochar was prepared from waste petroleum activated sludge(biochar-WPS) and used in a sequencing batch reactor for the treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater.Biochar-WPS presented the surface area of 229.77 m2/g,pore volume of 0.28 cm3/g,H/C and O/C atomic ratios of 0.42 and 0.21,respectively.The porous structure and a high degree of hydrophilicity were found to facilitate microbial colonization and adhesion as well as particle aggregation.Application of biochar-WPS resulted in the formation of more substantial and stable aerobic granules(~66% of granules> 0.46 mm diameter) 15 days earlier compared with the control.The addition of biochar-WPS enhanced the average removal efficiency of chemical organic demand(~3%),oil(~4%)and total nitrogen(~10%) over the control.Increased microbial richness and diversity were observed within the formed granules and had an increased(~4%) proportion of denitrifying bacteria.These results indicate that an aerobic granulation mechanism using biochar-WPS is a feasible option for the treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater.

Biodegradation of Tetrachlorothylene Using Methanol as Co-metabolic Substrate

Objective To investigate the biodegradation of tetrachloroethylene （PCE） using methanol as electron donor by acclimated anaerobic sludge. Methods HP-6890 gas chromatograph （GC）, together with HP-7694 autosarnpler, was used to analyze the concentration of PCE and intermediates. Results PCE could be decholrinated reductively to DCE via TCE, and probably further to VC and ethylene. The degradation of PCE and TCE conformed to first-order reaction kinetics. The reaction rate constants were 0.8991 d^-1 and 0.068 d^-1, respectively, and the corresponding half-life were 0.77 d and 10.19 d, respectively. TCE production rate constant was 0.1333 d^-1, showing that PCE was degraded more rapidly than TCE. Conclusion Methanol is an electron donor suitable for PCE degradation and the cometabolic electron donors are not limiting factors for PCE degradation.

The Authenticity of the James Ossuary

An archaeometric analysis of the James Ossuary inscription “James Son of Joseph Brother of Jesus” strengthens the contention that the ossuary and its engravings are authentic. The beige patina can be observed on the surface of the ossuary, continuing gradationally into the engraved inscription. Fine long striations made by the friction of falling roof rocks continuously crosscut the letters. Many dissolution pits are superimposed on several of the letters of the inscription. In addition to calcite and quartz, the patina contains the following minerals: apatite, whewellite and weddelite (calcium oxalate). These minerals result from the biogenic activity of microorganisms that require a long period of time to form a bio-patina. Moreover, the heterogeneous existence of wind-blown microfossils (nannofossils and foraminifers) and quartz within the patina of the ossuary, including the lettering zone, reinforces the authenticity of the inscription.

Nine requirements for the origin of Earth’s life:Not at the hydrothermal vent, but in a nuclear geyser system

The origin of life on Earth remains enigmatic with diverse models and debates.Here we discuss essential requirements for the first emergence of life on our planet and propose the following nine requirements:(1)an energy source(ionizing radiation and thermal energy);(2)a supply of nutrients(P.K.REE.etc.);(3)a supply of life-constituting major elements;(4)a high concentration of reduced gases such as CH4,HCN and NH3;(5)dry-wet cycles to create membranes and polymerize RNA;(6)a non-toxic aqueous environment;(7)Na-poor water;(8)highly diversified environments,and(9)cyclic conditions,such as dayto-night,hot-to-cold etc.Based on these nine requirements,we evaluate previously proposed locations for the origin of Earth’s life,including:(1)Darwin’s"warm little pond",leading to a"prebiotic soup"for life;(2)panspermia or Neo-panspermia(succession model of panspermia);(3)transportation from/through Mars;(4)a deepsea hydrothermal system;(5)an on-land subduct ion-zone hot spring,and(6)a geyser systems driven by a natural nuclear reactor.We conclude that location(6)is the most ideal candidate for the o rigin point for Earth’s life because of its efficiency in continuously supplying both the energy and the necessary materials for life,thereby maintaining the essential"cradle"for its initial development.We also emphasize that falsifiable working hypothesis provides an important tool to evaluate one of the biggest mysteries of the universe-the origin of life.

Health risk ranking of antibiotic resistance genes in the Yangtze River

Antibiotic resistance is an escalating global health concern,exacerbated by the pervasive presence of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)in natural environments.The Yangtze River,the world's third-longest river,traversing areas with intense human activities,presents a unique ecosystem for studying the impact of these genes on human health.Here,we explored ARGs in the Yangtze River,examining 204 samples from six distinct habitats of approximately 6000 km of the river,including free-living and particle-associated settings,surface and bottom sediments,and surface and bottom bank soils.Employing shotgun sequencing,we generated an average of 13.69 Gb reads per sample.Our findings revealed a significantly higher abundance and diversity of ARGs in water-borne bacteria compared to other habitats.A notable pattern of resistome coalescence was observed within similar habitat types.In addition,we developed a framework for ranking the risk of ARG and a corresponding method for calculating the risk index.Applying them,we identified water-borne bacteria as the highest contributors to health risks,and noted an increase in ARG risks in particle-associated bacteria correlating with heightened anthropogenic activities.Further analysis using a weighted ARG risk index pinpointed the ChengdueChongqing and Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations as regions of elevated health risk.These insights provide a critical new perspective on ARG health risk assessment,highlighting the urgent need for strategies to mitigate the impact of ARGs on human health and to preserve the ecological and economic sustainability of the Yangtze River for future human use.

Beyond biogeographic patterns:Processes shaping the microbial landscape in soils and sediments along the Yangtze River

Deciphering biogeographic patterns of microorganisms is important for evaluating the maintenance of microbial diversity with respect to the ecosystem functions they drives.However,ecological processes shaping distribution patterns of microorganisms across large spatial‐scale watersheds remain largely unknown.Using Illumina sequencing and multiple statistical methods,we characterized distribution patterns and maintenance diversity of microorganisms(i.e.,archaea,bacteria,and fungi)in soils and sediments along the Yangtze River.Distinct microbial distribution patterns were found between soils and sediments,and microbial community similarity significantly decreased with increasing geographical distance.Physicochemical properties showed a larger effect on microbial community composition than geospatial and climatic factors.Archaea and fungi displayed stronger species replacements and weaker environmental constraints in soils than that in sediments,but opposite for bacteria.Archaea,bacteria,and fungi in soils showed broader environmental breadths and stronger phylogenetic signals compared to those in sediments,suggesting stronger environmental adaptation.Stochasticity dominated community assemblies of archaea and fungi in soils and sediments,whereas determinism dominated bacterial community assembly.Our results have therefore highlighted distinct microbial distribution patterns and diversity maintenance mechanisms between soils and sediments,and emphasized important roles of species replacement,environmental adaptability,and ecological assembly processes on microbial landscape.Our findings are helpful in predicting loss of microbial diversity in the Yangtze River Basin,and might assist the establishment of environmental policies for protecting fragile watersheds.

New insights into the synergistic degradation of organic pollutants by white rot fungi and minerals

Soil pollution and other environmental issues have become a serious bottleneck affecting human health and sustainable socio-economic development.In recent years,the problem of soil organic pollution has been increasingly prominent,garnering widespread attention from society and becoming a hot topic in the research community.The urgent demand for ecological civilization and a habitable Earth environment by the nation has brought about new opportunities and challenges for in-depth research and development in soil pollution remediation.It is imperative to conduct research related to important issues such as soil pollution prevention and control,Earth habitability,and other national requirements.

A modified isooctane-based DNA extraction method from crude oil

Microbes from oil reservoirs shape petroleum composition through processes such as biodegradation or souring.Such processes are considered economically detrimental and might pose health and safety hazards.It is therefore crucial to understand the composition of a reservoir's microbial community and its metabolic capabilities.However,such analyses are hindered by difficulties in extracting DNA from such complex fluids as crude oil.Here,we present a novel DNA extraction method from oils with a wide American Petroleum Institute(API)gravity(density)range.We investigated the ability to extract cells from oils with different solvents and surfactants,the latter both nonionic and ionic.Furthermore,we evaluated three DNA extraction methods.Overall,the best DNA yields and the highest number of 16S rRNA reads were achieved with isooctane as a solvent,followed by an ionic surfactant treatment using sodium dodecyl sulfate and DNA extraction using the PowerSoil Pro Kit(Qiagen).The final method was then applied to various oils from oil reservoirs collected in aseptic conditions.Despite the expected low cell density of 10^(1)–10^(3)cells/ml,the new method yielded reliable results,with average 16S rRNA sequencing reads in the order of 41431(±8860)per sample.Thermophilic,halophilic,and anaerobic taxa,which are most likely to be indigenous to the oil reservoir,were found in all samples.API gravity and DNA yield,despite the sufficient DNA obtained,did not show a correlation.

Interactions of organic phosphorus with soil minerals and the associated environmental impacts: A review

As an important part of the soil phosphorus(P)pool,organic P(OP)is widely found in terrestrial and aquatic environments(e.g.,soils and sediments).The interfacial behavior of OP on natural minerals affects the transport,transformation,and bioavailability of P in the environment.This paper reviews the processes involving adsorption-desorption,dissolution-precipitation,and enzymatic/mineral-mediated hydrolysis of OP at the mineral-water interface,and their subsequent effects on OP speciation and mineral colloidal stability/reactivity.The sorption mechanisms of OP on natural minerals mainly include surface complexation and precipitation,which are controlled by factors such as mineral identity and crystallinity,the relative molecular weight of OP,reaction pH,ionic strength,temperature,and co-existing ligands or ions.The desorption amount and rate of OP from minerals are determined by the mineral identity,desorbent type,pre-sorption time,OP species,reaction pH,number of desorption cycles,and redox status.The interactions between OP and minerals affect the sorption of co-existing metal ions and the stability of the minerals.The effect of minerals on the enzymatic hydrolysis of OP sorbed on mineral surfaces depends on the mineral identity and OP species.Some minerals also exhibit catalytic activity to promote the cleavage of C–O–P bonds and OP hydrolysis.We provide an overview of state-of-the-art techniques currently applied in environmental OP research.The main challenges and future research directions are also summarized to further explore OP interactions with natural minerals in complex environmental settings.

Simultaneous oxidation of Mn (Ⅱ) and As (Ⅲ) on cupric oxide (CuO) promotes As (Ⅲ) removal at circumneutral pH

Oxidation of Mn (Ⅱ) or As(Ⅲ) by molecular oxygen is slow at pH<9,while they can be catalytically oxidized in the presence of oxide minerals and then removed from contaminated water.However,the reaction mechanisms on simultaneous oxidation of Mn(Ⅱ) and As (Ⅲ)on oxide mineral surface and their accompanied removal efficiency remain unclear.This study compared Mn (Ⅱ) oxidation on four common metal oxides (γ-Al_(2)O_(3),CuO,α-Fe2O_(3)and ZnO) and investigated the simultaneous oxidation and removal of Mn (Ⅱ) and As (Ⅲ) through batch experiments and spectroscopic analyses.Among the tested oxides,CuO and α-Fe2O_(3)possess greater catalytic activity toward Mn (Ⅱ) oxidation.Oxidation and removal kinetics of Mn (Ⅱ) and As (Ⅲ) on CuO indicate that O_(2)is the terminal electron acceptor for Mn (Ⅱ) and As (Ⅲ) oxidation on CuO,and Mn (Ⅱ) acts as an electron shuttle to promote As (Ⅲ) oxidation and removal.The main oxidized product of Mn (Ⅱ) on CuO is high-valent MnO_(x)species.This newly formed Mn (Ⅲ) or Mn (IV) phases promote As (Ⅲ) oxidation on CuO at circumneutral pH 8 and is reduced to Mn (Ⅱ),which may be then released into solution.This study provides new insights into metal oxide-catalyzed oxidation of pollutants Mn (Ⅱ) and As (Ⅲ) and suggests that CuO should be considered as an efficient material to remediate Mn (Ⅱ) and As(Ⅲ)contamination.

Redox-active humics support interspecies syntrophy and shift microbial community

The network of microbial electron transfer can establish a syntrophic association of microbes by connecting interspecies metabolisms, and a variety of redox-active shuttles in environment have been proved to accelerate the electron flow in a microbial community. Using humic substances as models, we investigated how different redox-active shuttles with different electrochemical properties influence interspecies electron transfer, and affect the shift of microbial communities. The co-culture of two species was constructed with supplements of humics, and the electron transfer between these two strains was found to be linked by humic acid with a wider window of redox potential and multi-peaks of redox reactions. Based on the shift of microbial composition, the humic substances with a wide potential window and multi-peaks of redox reactions for accepting and donating electrons could increase the biodiversity(Chao 1 and phylogenetic diversity) with a large extent. The mechanism by which redox-active shuttles mediate the microbial electron transfer network could facilitate our understanding of syntrophic interactions between microbes.

Discovering the roles of subsurface microorganisms: Progress and future of deep biosphere investigation

The discovery of the marine "deep biosphere"-microorganisms living deep below the seafloor-is one of the most significant and exciting discoveries since the ocean drilling program began more than 40 years ago. Study of the deep biosphere has become a research frontier and a hot spot both for geological and biological sciences. Here, we introduce the history of the discovery of the deep biosphere, and then we describe the types of environments for life below the seafloor, the energy sources for the living creatures, the diversity of organisms within the deep biosphere, and the new tools and technologies used in this research field. We will highlight several recently completed Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expeditions, which targeted the subseafloor deep biosphere within the crust and sediments. Finally, future research directions and challenges of deep biosphere investigation towards uncovering the roles of subsurface microorganisms will be briefly addressed.