Friday, July 29, 2005

Measuring Gas

"DAVIS, Calif. - In a white, tent-like "bio-bubble" on a farm near Davis, eight pregnant Holsteins are eating, chewing and pooping — for science. "The ladies," as they're called by University of California researcher Frank Mitloehner, are doing their part to answer a question plaguing one of California's largest agricultural industries: How much gas does a cow emit?

"The findings will be used to write the state's first air quality regulations for dairies and could affect regulations nationwide.

"But before he explains how it works, Mitloehner wants one thing to be clear.

"We're not talking about flatulence," he says.

"He emphasizes the point because his research has been dismissed as "fart science," a label he says doesn't do justice to the seriousness of his work."

Aren't you glad you don't have his job?

Read the rest of the article to find out what causes some of the air pollution. Surprisingly, it's not the poop.

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