Some scientists working suddenly … burst out laughing, eyes and noses distracted, lethargic, lack of concentration.
One of the main tasks of scientists in Antarctica is to study penguins. They have to study everything, from the population, the distribution of the population, to … their droppings. And recently, according to a study published by Danish experts, scientists in Antarctica have a very strange reaction.
Specifically, Professor Bo Elberling of the University of Copenhagen – the author of the study – said that many scientists are studying king penguin species in Antarctica while suddenly working … chapped, listless, lethargic , lack of concentration. This strange reaction forced the colleagues to investigate, and finally to draw a truth: they inhaled too much … their excrement.
But what does the penguin’s droppings cause such a strange reaction? Professor Elberling said it turns out that the inside of the penguin’s droppings contains very high levels of nitrous oxide (N2O). For those who don’t know, N2O is also known as “laughing gas” – also the gas of laughing balls that is commonly found in many parts of the world.
“The penguins when” pee “released a large amount of nitrous oxide gas around their territory”, – shared Elberling.
“Some researchers suddenly laughed stupidly while working in areas with too much guano.”
“After a few hours of work, this laughing reaction occurred. Another was tired, a headache.”
Besides the “funny” effect, it is important to know that N2O is a gas that pollutes the environment 300 times more than CO2. The reason why penguins create such a large amount of gas is attributed to their diet – which includes a lot of fish and shellfish, is high in nitrogen (nitrogen).
Nitrogen was initially included in the penguin’s droppings. However, when combined with soil microbes, they form N2O – laughing gas, which is also a dangerous greenhouse gas.
“Although the amount of N2O released is not enough to affect the Earth as a whole, our research is helping to better understand how a population of penguins affects their environment. particularly interesting, given that the territory of penguins is expanding. “
