matson: all organisms need a lot of nitrogen. plants and people and all different kinds of animals and microorganisms use nitrogen in our cells, and we need a lot of it. and of course, we are literally bathed in it. the atmosphere is 78% dinitrogen, so there should be plenty, right? but the problem is that most organisms don't have access to that dinitrogen in the atmosphere. they can't use it. they can't get at it. narrator: while certain bacteria can convert this nitrogen into forms that other organisms can use, for many crops, more nitrogen is still required. and nitrogen fertilizer allows plants to receive the much-needed nutrient that they lack. the use of fertilizer dramatically increased during the green revolution, where, from the 1940s through the 1960s, new seed varieties were introduced in many developing nations, helping avoid widespread famine. dr. naylor: the green revolution is just adapting crop varieties to have much higher yields on a limited land base. and the key factor was new seeds for plant types, and these

matson is set to appear in court tomorrow.ys he will bring his toothbrush and pjs to court, just in case he's sent to jail. tough. what does your gut tell you? should the crime stoppers director be forced to go to jail for refusing to identify his tipster? go to newsnation.msnbc.com to vote. my floor director says no, he shouldn't be sent to jail. we'll see if we can get a chance to talk to him. before we go, a special visitor stopped by my other gig at the "today" show this morning. i've kissed a lot of frogs, but none this cute. it is kermit the frog, the real kermit, who sent a cute note to my leases laila and giana. that does it for this edition of "news nation." i am tamron the hall, as in kermit the frog. tomorrow, edwin edwards and his wife will join me. i'll ask him about his upcoming run for congress after spending nearly nine years behind bars. plus, his reality show with his wife who, get this, is 51 years younger than him. 51 years younger. up next, "andrea mitchell reports" with senator joe manchin and why he's ch