Battling cattle bloat

For years, scientists have been trying to find out why cattle get bloat, a big killer of adult animals. A single protein found in cow saliva could provide the answer.

Biological scientist Professor Vic Arcus, called in the heavy machinery, a synchrotron, a huge particle accelerator, worth $250 million, housed in Melbourne to help solve the structure of the protein BSP30b, because animals with plenty of it are less susceptible to bloat. And now, able to see every atom in the protein, Professor Arcus and scientists from AgResearch are working out just how its special characteristics work in a rumen to help prevent bloat.