Methane-plant link disputed by new research

A study conducted in 2006 which suggested that plants produce methane and contribute significantly to the emission of greenhouse gases has been contradicted by new research.

The previous study concluded that plants could be responsible for around 50 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, reported the BBC.

However, the new research, undertaken by scientists from the University of Cambridge, found that plants simply conduct methane from the soil to the air and do not themselves produce it.

Ellen Nisbet, leader of the team working on the project, stated: "I think this does tell us that the vast majority of methane emitted in normal growth conditions is explained by the absorption of methane in the soil water."

In other greenhouse gas-related developments, a recent report from Harvard University Physicist Alex Wissner-Gross concluded that 20 milligrams of carbon is released for every second that an internet user views a web page.