A simple pill and their gases will pollute less
A small group of experts is currently working hard at a Californian research laboratory. The aim: to develop a pill to block methane production in ruminants.
Jennifer Doudna, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her invention of CRISPR “molecular scissors”, is one of the key figures in the 7-year research program. To stop cows and other ruminants producing the polluting gas, the idea is to genetically transform their intestinal flora, reports France info. Methane is the second most potent greenhouse gas after CO2, and an undeniable threat to the planet's health.
On average, a cow emits 100kg of methane per year.
In practice, France info reports, researchers are working to identify one or more of the billions of micro-organisms present in the microbiota of ruminants that can be genetically modified. These bacteria would act as hydrogen “captors”, preventing its transformation into methane. These bacteria would then be administered to ruminants in the form of a pill or injection, from their first days on earth.
(MH with AsD - Source: France info - Illustration: Unsplash)