scientists breeding cows that burp less

[trancelikestate]

TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian scientists are breeding a special type of cow designed to burp less, a breakthrough that could reduce a big source of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

Cows are responsible for nearly three-quarters of total methane emissions, according to Environment Canada. Most of the gas comes from bovine burps, which are 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

Stephen Moore, a professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, is examining the genes responsible for methane produced from a cow's four stomachs in order to breed more efficient, environmentally friendly cows.

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I thought it was interesting that cows are responsible for 3/4 of the methane gas in the atmosphere.....see we're not responsible for global warming, cows are!

[ROGER]

To para phrase Jack Nicholson: "This world needs an enema!"

[shaka5]

like really...thats all imma say

[schizoidwoman]

.see we're not responsible for global warming, cows are!

I think it's because they all drive around in SUVs.

[Blueguardian]

What a fartful idea.

[MirrorImage]

I thought it was interesting that cows are responsible for 3/4 of the methane gas in the atmosphere.....see we're not responsible for global warming, cows are!

Yay! That means I can burp all I want, since cows are burping less. *eye roll* seriously we waste time and money on THIS and we wonder why fewer people can afford to eat beef.

[Sag!ttarius]

Yay! That means I can burp all I want, since cows are burping less. *eye roll* seriously we waste time and money on THIS and we wonder why fewer people can afford to eat beef.

Being a farmer, I can tell you right now that the reasons people can't afford meat is NOT because of wasted money on genetics studies, in Canada anyway. Farmers growing beef get barely by on a few pennies a pound profit. Turn your attention to the slaughtering/meat processing plants margins difference today and 10 years ago, and the fact that there has been a bad industry wide consolidation in slaughter houses that can dictate prices paid. When the mad cow scare 3-4 years ago, prices plumetted, but not the supermarket prices, the meat packers and slaughter houses took all the progfit margins at the expense of the producers

[ROGER]

I don't know how accurate this is, but on the T.V. show MANSWERS they said the biggest contributor of methane gas was not the cows, but the lowly wood eating TERMITES. There are a heck of a lot more of them than cows!

[:PsYKoTiC:BeHAvIoR:]

After reading the article, all I can do is this:

Edited June 23, 2009 by :PsYKoTiC:BeHAvIoR:

[Der]

After reading the article, all I can do is this:

Canadian scientists are breeding a special type of cow designed to burp less, a breakthrough that could reduce a big source of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

Cows are responsible for nearly three-quarters of total methane emissions, according to Environment Canada. Most of the gas comes from bovine burps, which are 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

[The Cosmic Fluke]

hmmm....

Problem: feeding corn to cows makes them gassy (and sick)

Solution: Breed cows that burp less....

that's thinking with your wallets!

we need to breed humans that care more about their world and their place in it.

IMPOSSIBLE!

well, then we need something a tad stronger than the swine flu....

(I'm sure they're working on it....)

[trancelikestate]

I'm far from a vegetarian myself..

but you know if we all stopped eating beef we could severely reduce methane gas, helping to slow global warming AND use that grain fed to cows and the land cows are on to produce more vegetables and feed currently starving people instead....

just saying

[shaka5]

After reading the article, all I can do is this:

im still stuck in this same pose since reading this yesterday...but nothing tops the time and money put into the seedless watermelons

[MirrorImage]

Being a farmer, I can tell you right now that the reasons people can't afford meat is NOT because of wasted money on genetics studies, in Canada anyway. Farmers growing beef get barely by on a few pennies a pound profit. Turn your attention to the slaughtering/meat processing plants margins difference today and 10 years ago, and the fact that there has been a bad industry wide consolidation in slaughter houses that can dictate prices paid. When the mad cow scare 3-4 years ago, prices plumetted, but not the supermarket prices, the meat packers and slaughter houses took all the progfit margins at the expense of the producers

I fully understand that the farmers and ranchers arent the ones making the money here, the markup happens at market. Still, if the government would spend the taxes doing something productive, like say mad cow vaccines, wouldnt that help everyone? I mean this whole cow methane thing has been proven, disproven, and argued about to the point that theres got to be something better to spend taxes on.

[OilFight]

I thought it was interesting that cows are responsible for 3/4 of the methane gas in the atmosphere.....see we're not responsible for global warming, cows are!

Technically, we would still be responsible since we're the ones breeding them to such large numbers