Modern terrestrial microbes have shown a puzzling ability to use reduced forms of phosphorus not commonly found on Earth. An examination of glasses formed in the ground by lightning suggests that lightning strikes can generate these phosphorus species.
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Schwartz, A. Sparking an unusual nutrient. Nature Geosci 2, 538–539 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo584
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo584
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