How Goat Poop Illuminates the Future of Biotechnology
Feb 21, 2021
The plant nibblers can teach us a thing or two about bioprocessing.
Scientists have been studying the gut microbes of Elway, a San Clemente Island goat at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
Photography courtesy of UC Santa Barbara
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Like other herbivores, Elway, a San Clemente Island goat at the Santa Barbara Zoo, can extract energy-rich molecules from cellulose to fuel its activities. And he’s particularly good at it.
Goats have microbes that can effectively digest the woody, fibrous and inedible bits of plants and turn them into energy. Scientists have been hoping to learn how these barnyard animals are so effective at doing this in the hope that it can be used to transform plant wastes into energy.