Why do we need phosphorus?
Channel: Science Showcase
Date: 31/03/2017

Why is phosphorus so important to our bodies, and all living things?  And what can go wrong if there's too much phosphorus available in the environment? 

This short, engaging video from ASU researcher Neng Iong provides an entertaining and illuminating introduction to why everyone needs phosphorus.

In the video, Neng Iong considers phosphorus' critical role in DNA and RNA, and in the proteins that make up all living things. he ties this back to the food we eat, and how this means we need to ensure a good supply of phosphorus in agriculture. But he ends with a warning - too much phosphorus in the environment can act as a pollutant, leading to algal blooms and other harmful phenomena.

Written and produced by Neng-Iong Chan, Arizona State University.

Neng-Iong is a member of the Rittmann Lab in the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the ASU Biodesign Institute

Produced with the support of the NSF Engineering Research Center on Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT - http://www.newtcenter.org/), and the Arizona State University Risk Innovation Lab - http://riskinnovation.asu.edu)