Life on the early Earth is often considered to have been more nutrient limited than it is today. In particular nitrogen is thought to have been less bioavailable, because the enzyme used for biological N2 fixation was suppressed by low solubility of molybdenum in anoxic Precambrian seawater. Furthermore, nutrient recycling in the water column was greatly reduced in the absence of O2 and sulfate. In this talk, I will explore two previously proposed remedies for the Precambrian nitrogen limitation, including lightning discharge in the atmosphere and hydrothermal venting in the deep sea. Experimental data suggest that lightning-generated nitrogen oxides were likely not a major contributor to the early biosphere as their isotopic signature does is distinct from the sedimentary rock record. In contrast, hydrothermal circulation may have acted as an efficient recycling mechanism that regenerated buried nitrogen back into the open ocean. It is therefore conceivable that volcanically active basins offered attractive refugia for early life.