Hidden within the frozen highlands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau – usually known as the “Third Pole” – lies an sudden trove of organic innovation: animal poop.
Chinese language scientists have found that the faeces of yaks, Tibetan sheep, antelope and different native herbivores harbour hundreds of beforehand unknown microbial species, a few of which may very well be recreation changers for biotechnology.
They embrace novel strains which have the potential to degrade cellulose – used for paper, cardboard and clothes – and different strains that would assist scale back methane emissions from livestock manufacturing.
“Our results showed that animals living in harsh environments are promising sources for the discovery of novel biological functions of gut-residing microbes,” they wrote in an article printed within the peer-reviewed journal Microbiome this month.
“Our research presents the primary blueprint of the intestine microbiota of native mammals on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, termed the Third Pole.
Supply hyperlink
