Can we reawaken the ancient partnership between crops and soil?

Karsten Temme: The tiny organisms transforming farming · 11:26 · Video: TED · Watch at the source

In short: For millions of years, plants relied on microbes to turn atmospheric nitrogen into food. This video explores how bioengineer Karsten Temme aims to restore this broken bond using gene editing to create a sustainable, living fertilizer.

Modern agricultural practices have severed an ancient biological connection: the reliance of crops on soil microbes to convert atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients. This disruption threatens our ability to feed a growing global population.

Karsten Temme demonstrates how gene editing can reawaken dormant microbes. By reviving these organisms, we can develop a "living fertilizer" capable of delivering nutrients to crops in real time, potentially transforming global farming stability.

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