Why is Jeff Bezos spending $9 million on a cow fart vaccine?
Jeff Bezos' next big investment, you might picture space travel, AI, or renewable energy. But instead, the Amazon founder has poured $9.4 million into developing a vaccine to curb cow farts—yes, you read that right.
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It turns out, these seemingly harmless bovine burps and flatulence are a major contributor to climate change, releasing methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO2. Now, Bezos' Earth Fund is backing a scientific effort to create a cow fart vaccine—a radical approach that could change the future of livestock farming.
Why Are Cow Farts a Big Deal?
Cows digest food in a unique way, with grass fermenting inside their four-chambered stomachs, producing methane as a byproduct. The result? Each cow emits around 200 pounds of methane per year, and livestock collectively account for nearly 30% of global warming-related methane emissions.
While some farms have experimented with special feed additives to reduce methane, the approach has proven difficult to implement—especially for free-roaming cattle. A vaccine, on the other hand, could be a game-changer.
The Science Behind the 'Cow Fart Vaccine'
The Pirbright Institute in the UK, in collaboration with New Zealand’s AgResearch and the UK’s Royal Veterinary College, has launched a three-year study to develop the vaccine. The goal? Reduce methane emissions by at least 30% in a single shot.
“The appeal of a vaccine is that it's a proven, widely accepted tool in livestock management,” explains John Hammond, director of
