What Next?

First read this:

--Flatulent kangaroos could save the planet.--

Australian scientists plan to isolate, and possibly transfer to other species, the 'roos digestive bacteria, which unusually produce almost none of the potent greenhouse gas methane.

One of the primary sources of atmospheric methane is the digestive tracts of millions of cows, sheep, pigs and, um, humans. It's the byproduct of trillions of bacteria, properly called digestive flora, without which no mammal could get nutrition from starches and plant fibers.

With each belch and colonic gaseous emission, large plant-eating livestock contribute a bit more to global warming.

"Fourteen percent of [greenhouse-gas] emissions from all sources in Australia is from enteric methane from cattle and sheep," Queensland state government research scientist Athol Klieve told Agence France-Presse. "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."

But kangaroos, which eat plenty of plants, appear to have different digestive flora, emitting almost no methane. If those bacteria could be substituted for those of cows and sheep, it could drastically cut down on the amounts of methane pumped into the atmosphere.

source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,315586,00.html
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Wow. That's my first reaction. Second reaction: That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. For those of you who read the last issue of Virtually News, you might have read my article on Global Warming. If you didn't read it, go read it, and read the counterpoint by Alex Dunn.

Questions that come to mind regarding this research: How much methane is put into the atmosphere? How much does it contribute to the greenhouse effect compared to carbon dioxide emissions? What about all the methane the ocean gives off? Is this a natural thing that we should just leave alone???

Thinking out loud,

Em