How roo poo could help stop greenhouse gas emissions in livestock

University of Queensland microbial biologist Mark Morrison said it was not wholly understood why kangaroos produced less of the gas, and they were focusing on the gut archaea as a possible answer.

“While there are methane-producing microorganisms present in these animals, compared to the ones we find in livestock and even in humans, they appear to be a bit different,” he said.

“At this stage we really don’t understand their processes or the genetics that give rise to potential differences in the organisms found in the guts of different species.”

Professor Morrison said the researchers planned to use molecular and genomic sequencing to find out exactly what the differences were in the different gut microorganisms.

“What we want…