Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
Scientists are working on a pill that could change the bacteria in a cow’s stomach. This would make cows produce less or no methane. Cows burp up a lot of methane. This is a gas that warms the Earth and harms the environment.
“Almost half of the increase in [global] temperature that we’ve had so far, it’s been because of methane,” said Ermias Kebreab, an animal science professor.
A cow’s stomach has four parts: the rumen, omasum, reticulum and abomasum. As the food moves through the rumen, it ferments and breaks down. This process creates a lot of gas. Most of this gas is carbon dioxide, but a significant amount is methane.
When the animal burps, it releases this gas into the atmosphere. Cows produce the most methane compared to other farm animals like sheep and pigs (see graphic).
Methane is the second biggest cause of climate change after carbon dioxide. It breaks down faster than CO2 but is more potent.
“Methane lives in the atmosphere for about 12 years. Carbon dioxide persists for centuries,” Kebreab said. “If you start reducing methane now, we can see the effect on the temperature very quickly.”
Scientists are studying the tiny microbes inside a cow’s stomach that turn hydrogen into methane. They hope to create a single pill that can be given to calves.
This pill would have special microbes that absorb hydrogen. It would stop the bacteria that produce methane from growing.
Question
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What type of gas do cows burp up?
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Why is it important to reduce methane gas?
