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Cow rumen metagenome study on Times Live

They used new genetic sequencing techniques to find microbes that make enzymes that in turn can break down tough grasses into usable products. Writing in the journal Science on Thursday, they said they took samples directly from the rumen — the organ in cattle that ferments and breaks down grass. Read more on Times Live… [Read More]

Cow rumen metagenome study in Technology Review

The first step in cellulosic biofuels is converting tough plant materials made of cellulose and lignin into sugars that can then be fermented to make fuels. But this is expensive and currently requires a large quantity of enzymes to break down cellulose. “We’re talking truckloads,” says Frances Arnold, a professor of chemical engineering at Caltech… [Read More]

Cow rumen metagenome study on ClimateWire

Scientists hunting for ways to drive down the cost of converting plant waste into fuel may have found some valuable clues in the bellies of cows. Researchers employing high-tech genetic sequencing methods identified dozens of gut-dwelling organisms that help cows break through the protective sheath that guards the sugars inside plants. Some of these enzymes… [Read More]

Cow rumen metagenome study on Medill Reports

Of those, 27,775 show markers for enzymes specific to breaking down cellulose sugars in plants. “One of the neat things,” Hess said, “is that we established a catalog of enzymes that we are interested in, which will be available Friday for anyone to access.” Read more on Medill Reports. [Read More]

Cow rumen metagenome study on TVNZ

Identifying the enzymes that give the tiny bacteria this power could make it easier to turn switchgrass and other plant products into fuel in factories. Ethanol makers will produce about 49 billion litres of the renewable fuel this year, chiefly from corn. A 2007 law requires annual use of 136 billion litres from 2022 and… [Read More]

Cow rumen metagenome study on PlanetArk

To make sure they found the right microbes in action, they used a cow that had a hole surgically opened right into its rumen. The researchers needed to find the bacteria that worked in airless environments like a cow’s insides.Rubin’s team used metagenomics, a gene-sequencing approach that maps the DNA of a community of organisms… [Read More]

Cow rumen metagenome study on ScienceBlog

When it comes to breaking down plant matter and converting it to energy, the cow has it all figured out. Its digestive system allows it to eat more than 150 pounds of plant matter every day. Now researchers report that they have found dozens of previously unknown microbial enzymes in the bovine rumen — the… [Read More]

UI on cow rumen metagenome study in EurekAlert

“The problem with second-generation biofuels is the problem of unlocking the soluble fermentable sugars that are in the plant cell wall,” said University of Illinois animal sciences professor Roderick Mackie, an author on the study whose research into the microbial life of the bovine rumen set the stage for the new approach. “The cow’s been… [Read More]

Cow rumen metagenome study on Reuters

In this case, the goal was to find microbes that make enzymes that can efficiently break down the toughest fibers in switchgrass, a tough crop that can be used to produce ethanol and which can grow in places where food crops do not grow well. But switchgrass is very tough to break down. Read more… [Read More]

Cow rumen metagenome study on MSNBC.com

“Cellulosic ethanol” would use non-food plants such as switchgrass, which is one of the most promising bioenergy crops. But, while advances have been made, it’s still not economically viable.The researchers didn’t come up with the magic mix of enzymes that will most efficiently break down switchgrass and other non-food plants. But they — and the… [Read More]