宜誠鼎峰社區

Scientists say that feeding curry to sheep could help save the planet - by reducing methane emissions.

科學家稱，餵羊吃咖哩可能有助拯救地球——透過減少甲烷的排放。

Researchers found that coriander and turmeric can reduce the amount of methane produced by sheep by up to 40%, reports The Sun.

科學家發現，胡荽及薑黃可減少羊隻甲烷排放量達40%，據太陽報報導。

The spices, traditionally used in curry, were found to kill the "bad" bacteria in the animal’s gut while allowing the "good" bacteria to flourish.

傳統上用在咖哩的這兩種香料，據發現能殺死動物腸內「壞」細菌，並讓「好」細菌欣欣向榮。

The findings are part of a study by Newcastle University research student Mohammad Mehedi Hasan and Dr. Abdul Shakoor Chaudhry.

這些發現，是新堡大學研究生哈山以及喬德利博士所進行的研究之一環。

Mr Hasan explained："Spices have long been used safely by humans to kill bacteria and treat a variety of ailments."Coriander seeds, for example, are often prescribed for stomach complaints while turmeric and cloves are strong antiseptics.

哈山先生解釋說：「人類長期以來安全地使用香料來殺死細菌並治療多種疾病。」例如，胡荽籽常作為治療胃疾的處方，而薑黃及丁香則是強力抗菌劑。

"Methane is a major contributor to global warming and the slow digestive system of ruminant animals such as cows and sheep makes them a key producer of the gas."

「甲烷是造成全球暖化的一項主因，而諸如牛羊等反芻動物的消化系統緩慢，使牠們成為這種氣體的重要製造者。」

"What my research found was that certain spices contain properties which make this digestive process more efficient so producing less waste - in this case, methane."

「我的研究發現，特定香料具有能讓這種消化過程變得有效率的特性，從而產生較少廢氣，在此個案中，指的是甲烷。」

新聞辭典

gut：名詞，腸道。複數形常指「內臟」。用法如：stick a bayonet into a man’s guts （將刺刀戳入一人的內臟）。

complaint：名詞，疾病；身體不適。例句：Arthritis is a common complaint among the elderly. （關節炎是老年人的一種常見病。）

antiseptic：名詞，抗菌劑；防腐劑。