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Feeding Seaweed To Cows Eliminates Methane Emissions (www.cbc.ca)

Dave Knott writes: A Canadian farmer has "helped lead to a researcher's discovery of an unlikely weapon in the battle against global warming: a seaweed that nearly eliminates the destructive methane content of cow burps and farts," reports the CBC. "Joe Dorgan began feeding his cattle seaweed from nearby beaches more than a decade ago as a way to cut costs... Then researcher Rob Kinley of Dalhousie University caught wind of it." He tested Dorgan's seaweed mix, discovering that it reduced the methane in the cows' burps and farts by about 20 per cent. "Kinley knew he was on to something, so he did further testing with 30 to 40 other seaweeds. That led him to a red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis he says reduces methane in cows burps and farts to almost nothing."

"Ruminant animals are responsible for roughly 20% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, so it's not a small number," said Kinley, an agricultural research scientist now working at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Queensland, Australia. "We're talking numbers equivalent to hundreds of millions of cars."

The researcher predicts a seaweed-based cow feed could be on the market within three to five years, according to the article. "He says the biggest challenge will be growing enough seaweed."

9 of 283 comments (clear)

  1. Simple explanation by lucm · · Score: 4, Funny

    Seaweed tastes so bad that it makes them puke when the farmer is not looking. That's why they're no longer farting. The guy will come back in 6 months saying all his cows died of hunger and he doesn't understand why.

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    lucm, indeed.
  2. Elon Musk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Someone please forward this article to Elon Musk.

  3. Re:Won't ever happen by Darinbob · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can we at least feed the seaweed to our elderly uncles at Thanksgiving to cut down on their burps and farts?

  4. I think the article had one thing backward by flatulus · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Then researcher Rob Kinley of Dalhousie University caught wind of it."

    Shouldn't that be "noticed the absence of wind?"

    I couldn't resist. I've been waiting years for this opportunity (note my account name)...

  5. Re:Won't ever happen by amiga3D · · Score: 4, Funny

    Fucking cows are polluting the planet. Acid rain and global warming and turning forests into wasteland. I say we kill and eat those fuckers!

  6. Finally! by dohzer · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can finally eat surf-and-turf while only harming one animal. Take that, vegetarians!

  7. so in other words... by newsdee · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...weed cures farts?

  8. Re: Game Changer by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 4, Funny

    No. Ruminants are responsible for 20%. Cows are not the only ruminants on the planet.

    Did you hear the story about how cows were once the dominant and most intelligent creatures on earth? Then they devolved, and are now just a ruminant of their one time greatness.

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    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  9. Re: Game Changer by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 4, Funny

    I want you to go to your room and think about what you've done.