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A 65 million year old lesson on global warming

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by eagle33199, May 7, 2012.

  1. eagle33199

    eagle33199 Platinum Member

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    Dinosaurs farted their way to extinction, British scientists say | Fox News

    Thought this was pretty interesting, and pretty impressive if it's true... Dinosaurs produced enough methane to alter their climate through global warming. Now, we fortunately don't have the digestive processes necessary to duplicate their feat naturally... but we're doing all we can do do it artificially!
     
    #1 eagle33199, May 7, 2012
  2. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

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    Sure we do, we just keep it in our hamburgers.

    (in other words, we breed a billion cows to produce methane for us.)
     
    #2 Corwyn, May 7, 2012
  3. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    A quick google says 5 tonnes CO2 a year per capita across the world average.
    That by itself is twice the calculated dino rate, when converted to methane equivalents.
     
    #3 SageBrush, May 7, 2012
  4. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    Wow, I never knew White Castle's been around that long!
     
    #4 El Dobro, May 7, 2012
  5. mojo

    mojo Senior Member

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    Silent but deadly.
     
    #5 mojo, May 7, 2012
    3 people like this.
  6. Trebuchet

    Trebuchet Senior Member

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    This is so fartcical I LoL'd. :pound:
     
    #6 Trebuchet, May 8, 2012
  7. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    It's the ruminant herbivores who use anaerobic bacteria who emit methane, mostly. Humans are much less complex, intestinally speaking, and our 'tailpipe emissions' are dominated by hydrogen gas. It is not an infrared absorber, so might be considered in a different category.

    The dinosaur study mentioned here (and in another PC thread) is based on the hypothesis that those large herbivores were also ruminants. Due to their size, and in the case of the later Titanosaurs, high mobility, this seems likely. It is tough to be a big and fast vegetarian without ruminant bacteria. Horses are 'borderline ruminants'. Pandas are not at all, and they are somewhat lacking in athleticism.

    None of this is intended to slow the flow of gas humor here. I am just trying to shoehorn in a bit of fascinating ecology.
     
    #7 tochatihu, May 8, 2012
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