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RAW FUELBamboo passes quickly through pandas’ gastrointestinal tracts thanks to powerful microbes that digest it, scientists have found. The trick could be useful someday for making biofuels.
Two giant pandas in the Memphis Zoo have dropped researchers a gift. Studies of the pandas’ poop show that their gut microbes break down bamboo efficiently — a trick that humans could co-opt to turn woody plant material into alternative energy sources. Pandas eat bamboo almost exclusively, but don’t have a multichambered stomach like cows to help digest all those plants. It’s basically in one end and out the other, and “anything residing there to break down woody material has to be very efficient,” says Candace Williams, a graduate student on Brown’s team.
This article interested me very very much because, first of all I really like Pandas and when I saw an article about it I wanted to read it. The title was very interesting, I would have never thought that pooping pandas may make better biofuels. Last year we were learning about biofuels and alternative energy sources so "pooping pandas"may help in the environmental issue and a new alternative energy source may be discovered. I have been thinking on helping worldwide to have a better environment in a future and this information may be useful.
Nice Article. Only missing the connection to area of interaction.
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