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Environment

Fungus offers a new way to cut down on methane in cow burps

Soil fungi can make a compound that disrupts how cow stomachs produce the potent greenhouse gas methane

By James Dinneen

4 March 2025

Should we add fungus to cows’ meals?

Volodymyr TVERDOKHLIB/Shutterstock

A species of fungus found in soil can be fed to cows to cut down on the potent greenhouse gas methane in their burps.

“It’s a fungal soup,” says at Roam Agricultural, a startup in Australia aiming to grow large amounts of the fungus in bioreactors. Instead of feeding cows the fungi directly, however, the company plans to extract the methane-reducing compound they make – called bromoform – and add it to feed…

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