Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Fritz Haber and the Nitrogen Cycle

Nearly a century ago, a German chemist named Fritz Haber figured out a way to tap into the atmosphere's vast reservoir of nitrogen. That innovation led to nitrogen fertilizer, which transformed world food production. But the discovery has also created one of the world's greatest pollutants. NPR's Dan Charles reports.

Copyright 2002 NPR