Why Can't You Digest Grass?

You’ve probably seen cows enjoying a nice mouthful of grass, but why can't we do the same?

Hosted by: Michael Aranda
----------
----------
Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters -- we couldn't make SciShow without them! Shout out to Patrick Merrithew, Will and Sonja Marple, Thomas J., Kevin Bealer, Chris Peters, charles george, Kathy & Tim Philip, Tim Curwick, Bader AlGhamdi, Justin Lentz, Patrick D. Ashmore, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Benny, Fatima Iqbal, Accalia Elementia, Kyle Anderson, and Philippe von Bergen.
----------
----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
----------
Sources:

Cellulose:

Hydrolysis/Fermentation Inside Rumen:

Microbes in Humans:

Image Sources:

[bertoamericall]

My five y/o daughter starts school today and I asked her, if there was anything in particular that she would like to learn and she said she wanted to know how horses could survive on grass? I actually always wanted to know that myself lol... now all I have to do is paraphrase everything to her and it'll make sense. Thanks for making this video.

[d.h.]

This video was suggested to me after Hank yelled at me not to eat grass.

[dambthelamb]

"Tiny Microbes", as oppose to all those massive microbes i guess

[gambit-]

I like how you explain the answer as well as addressing the possible hypotheticals, this is what I've always liked about SciShow

[AvailableUsernameTed]

Wait! Don't compost those lawn clippings. Use the Ruminator (TM / Patent Pending). Just put grass in, wait 3 days for enzymes to work and you gooey predigested edible grass goop. Never go grocery shopping again! Not available in stores. Order now.
(Can cause excess methane. May permanently make tongue green, enzyme packs sold separately)

[emmamay]

What if I get bitten by a radioactive cow?

[teddissac]

we eat them and now we want to eat their food too? we are just too much

[npiper]

we can't eat grass because we took the herbivore upgrade path but didn't get "Rear Gut Fermenter" because we took "Omnivore" and the two are exclusive. Also in the early game we made the mistake of not picking up "cellulase" when we had the chance because we jumped the gun and changed our class to "Vertebrate" too soon.

[chris]

1400s: Is the Earth round?

1900s: Can we go to space?

2017: WHY CANT WE EAT GRASS

[kioshekat]

I like how this is trending after the tiktok with no explanation

[reality]

Plants eat meat, meat eats plants, meat eats meat, but do plants eat plants?

[AlphaBetaDeltaGamma]

I'm so early, there aren't even any boring, overused anus-jokes.

This doesn't feel like SciShow anymore.

[johnnyj]

So this is why you see so many cows standing around masticating.

[jjdelany]

Or.... someone doesn't want us to wake up realizing we're surrounded by an uncontrollable food source in an over abundance.

[falapadieu]

"...as convenient as it would be to graze on your front lawn for dinner"
XDD

[RyanStokesGOVFL]

"As convenient it would be to graze on your own front lawn for dinner", cracked me up unexpectedly. 3:32

[kieferonline]

Great video. About the neutral pH of a cow's stomach, I guess that's why feeding them corn will cause them problems. I suppose the corn will alter the pH and stress the natural microbes.

[gingsSon]

Cows eat grass.
I eat cows.

Therefore I eat grass.

[Master_Therion]

Interesting question, I'll have to ruminate on it for a while.

[Lace]

Scientists: 'We're trying to find a cure for cancer'
Other scientists: 'We need funding to experiment with cellulose so we can eat grass'