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It's curious that plants haven't evolved to fix their own nitrogen, given their need for it and its abundance in the atmosphere


They have. Legumes are an important way to fix nitrogen (while simultaneously growing food!).

Why haven't ALL plants evolved to fix nitrogen? It's abundant in the air... and also in the ground. You don't manufacture your own vitamin C, but you could. But there's no need. Humans specifically evolved the inability to do so, where almost all animals can and do.


Symbiotic microorganisms fix nitrogen. Plants don't.


Symbiotic microorganisms digest food. Animals don't.

Wait, that makes no sense.

Symbiotic microorganisms are part of the macroorganism they live in.


Human teeth, saliva and stomach acid do a whole lot more to digest food than beans do to fix nitrogen.

Or do legumes chew the nitrogen before it gets to their roots?




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