Madari is trying to understand what makes terra preta so fertile and
different from other soil. She says the organic matter in terra preta
is stable because it has a core of several aromatic rings. The soil
can store nutrients thanks to reactive carboxylic groups on the
surface of that core.
Click on
http://groups.google.com/group/terra-preta/web/terra-preta-in-the-news?hl=en
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work.