The quest for specialist N2O-respiring bacteria

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas, and its stratospheric concentration is already 20% above the pre-industrial level. Over 70% of N2O is produced by microbial processes. Nitrous oxide reductase is the only enzyme able to reduce N2O to innocuous N2. The high abundance of organisms harbouring it and lacking the genetic potential to...