Can a pill stop cows from burping methane?

In a time where our planet is crying out for help, it seems the bovine population might have a part to play in its preservation. At the center of a critical environmental study are cows – the gentle grass-chewing, milk-providing, innocent-eyed creatures.

The culprit behind this unlikely association? Methane, a significant greenhouse gas that cows burp out copiously.

The study was led by Paulo de Meo Filho, a postdoctoral researcher from the University of California, Davis. Filho is knee-deep in an audacious venture – a mission to create a pill that can rearrange cow gut bacteria to belch out less (or possibly even zero) methane.

Methane: Underestimated climate threat

While methane emissions come from various sources, including the fossil fuel industry and certain natural processes, the role of cattle farming is particularly worrying. The staggering volume of methane emanating from cows poses a significant climate threat.

But, isn’t carbon dioxide the real villain of the climate change phenomenon? Ermias Kebreab, an animal science professor also at UC Davis, elaborated on this question.

“Almost half of the increase in (global) temperature that we’ve had so far, it’s been because of methane,” noted Kebreab.

Methane, though it breaks down much faster than CO2, has a higher potency. It stays in the atmosphere for around 12 years. This is much shorter than carbon dioxide, which sticks around for centuries.

The glimmer of hope here is that any reduction in methane now could have an almost immediate effect on temperature.

Methane gas in a cow’s burp

The researchers extracted liquid from a cow’s rumen – the first stomach compartment that houses partially digested food.

They meticulously studied the microbes within these samples that convert hydrogen into methane gas. This gas is left undigested by the cow and is consequently burped out. A single cow burps around 220 pounds of this potent gas every year.

Diet to lessen methane production

The bovine group included Thing 1, a two-month-old calf that was part of the study. Thing 1 had been put on a seaweed-infused diet designed to lessen methane production.

Scientists hope to replicate these results by introducing genetically modified microbes that mop up hydrogen, thereby starving any methane-producing bacteria from their source.

However, this process isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Scientists can’t just simply cut down methane production by removing methane-making bacteria because excess hydrogen could harm the animal.

Social microbe communities

A fascinating point to note is that microbes are, in Hess’ words, “kind of social critters.” They thrive in communities and their interactions impact the overall function of their environment.

The research process is arduous but incredibly crucial – students experiment with different formulas in bioreactors. These vessels mimic the living conditions of microorganisms within the cow’s stomach, from movement to temperature.

But the efforts of these researchers on combating methane in cow burps aren’t limited to UC Davis. The Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at UC Berkeley is part of this important project as well.

Here, scientists are on a quest to find the ideal microbe, the one that can be genetically tweaked to replace methane-producing microbes.

Balancing productivity and sustainability

These enhanced microorganisms will subsequently be tested both in the lab and within the animals at UC Davis. The objective here isn’t solely about reducing methane emissions. It’s about increasing feed efficiency too.

“Hydrogen and methane, they are both energy, and so if you reduce that energy and redirect it to something else… we have a better productivity and lower emissions at the same time,” explained Kebreab.

Treating the methane in cow burps

The ultimate goal appears to be a single-dose treatment given early in life. The logic behind this is the fact that most cattle graze freely and can’t be administered daily supplements.

The pressure is on, as the team has been allocated $70 million and a seven-year timeline to achieve a breakthrough.

But the stakes are high, and not just for the environment. In many developing nations like Indonesia, where one in five children under five suffer from stunted growth, there’s a need to boost meat and dairy production. Solely focusing on cutting meat consumption isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

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