Australian scientists are trying to give kangaroo-style stomachs to cattle and sheep. They want to cut the emission of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
Thanks to special bacteria in their stomachs, kangaroo flatulence contains no methane. Scientists want to transfer that bacteria to cattle and sheep who emit large quantities of the harmful gas.
The usual image of greenhouse gas pollution is a smokestack pushing out carbon dioxide. But livestock passing wind contribute a surprisingly high percentage of total emissions in some countries.
PHOTO: AFP
"Fourteen percent of emissions from all sources in Australia is from [intestinal] methane from cattle and sheep," said Athol Klieve, a research scientist with the Queensland state government.
"And if you look at another country such as New Zealand, which has got a much higher agricultural base, they're actually up around 50 percent," he said.
Researchers say the bacteria also make the digestive process much more efficient. That could potentially save millions of dollars in feed costs for farmers.
"Not only would they not produce the methane, they would actually get something like 10 to 15 percent more energy out of the feed they are eating," Klieve said.
Even farmers who laugh at the idea of environmentally friendly kangaroo farts say that's nothing to joke about, particularly given the devastating drought Australia is suffering.
"In a tight year like a drought situation, 15 percent would be a considerable sum," said farmer Michael Mitton.
Researchers will need at least three years to isolate the bacteria. After that they can start to develop a way of transferring it to cattle and sheep.(AFP)
澳洲科學家正嘗試讓牛和綿羊擁有像袋鼠的胃，藉此減少造成全球暖化的溫室氣體。
由於袋鼠胃裡有種特別的細菌，因此牠們所排放的屁不含甲烷。科學家想將此細菌移植到會大量釋放這種有害氣體的牛和綿羊身上。
一般大家對溫室氣體的印象是來自於冒煙煙囪排放的二氧化碳。但令人意外地，在某些國家，牲畜所排放的氣體，佔了整體溫室氣體排放量很高的比例。
「澳洲各種溫室氣體排放的來源中，有百分之十四來自牛和綿羊（腸內）的甲烷，」昆士蘭省政府的科學研究人員阿索．克里夫說。
「而且如果你看其他的國家，像以農業發展為主的紐西蘭，牛和綿羊所排放的氣體，約佔整體排放量的半數，」他說。
研究人員說，這種細菌也會使消化過程更有效率，可以為農夫們省下好幾百萬美元的飼料費。
「牠們不僅不會製造甲烷，而且還會從吃下的飼料，多取得百分之十到百分之十五的能量，」克里夫說。
連那些嘲笑環保袋鼠屁的農夫們也說，那可不是開玩笑的，特別是考慮到澳洲目前正經歷嚴重的旱災。
「在經歷旱災欠收的荒年，百分之十五是個可觀的數目，」農夫麥可．密頓說。
研究人員將需要至少三年的時間來隔離培養這種細菌。之後，他們就會研發將細菌移植到牛和綿羊的方式。
（法新社�翻譯：楊鴻泰）
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