BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine scientists are taking a novel approach to studying global warming -- strapping plastic tanks to the backs of cows to collect their burps.
Researchers say the slow digestive system of cows makes them a producer of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that gets far less public attention than carbon dioxide in efforts to fight global warming.
Scientists around the world are studying the amount of methane in cow burps and Argentine researchers say they have come up with a unique way.
Attaching a red plastic tank to a cow's back and connecting it through a tube to the animal's stomach, scientists say they can trap bovine burps and analyze them.
Check out the article and the picture; it's a hoot. Seems like a waste of time and resources to me.
Somebody better call Al Gore...
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Wish I could say I've been doing a lot of interesting stuff, but I'm afraid not. I've been spending a bit of time doing work in the yard, but it seems like I run out of energy fairly fast; getting 4 to 5 hours sleep a night over the period of several weeks seems to accumulate. The fact that my feet swell a couple of sizes any time I am on them more than an hour is not helping. Hopefully I can bust out of this slump soon, it makes it hard to blog when you feel tired and sleepy but can't really sleep.
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The robins have been quite thick the past few years; the last two they have just about wiped out my grapes and blood plums before I can get a decent harvest. I don't mind sharing a bit, but these guys really chow down on the fruit. Caught a couple of shots of this guy sitting on my neighbor's fence yesterday while weeding around my tomatoes.
These will start turning dark soon; they are a black sweet seedless, that makes great raisins. The sugar content is so high that it actually forms a light crust on the outside of the raisins.
A couple of Roma tomatoes; I usually have several varieties (Roma, heirloom, pear, cherry, regular tomatoes). They are no longer there, as they met their end on a couple of BLT's that we had yesterday.
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My wife appreciates all of the good wishes for her birthday.
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Any favorites in this bunch?
"The Girl from Ipanema" by Eliane Elias
"Turn the Page" by Bob Seger
"Yakety Axe" by Chet Atkins/Mark Knopfler
"It's a Heartache" by Bonnie Tyler
"Tom Dooley" by Eddy Arnold
"Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers
"You Only Live Twice" by Nancy Sinatra
"El Nicoya" by Santana
"Your Wildest Dreams" by The Moody Blues
"La Grange" by ZZ Top