Gaby
— My dear little goats, did you drink or eat? — asks the old farmer as the goats return from the pasture.
And they shake their beards and, without batting an eye, reply:
— We neither drank nor ate, we ran across the little bridge, grabbed a maple leaf, and dashed over the dam… And the old man chases away the shepherd…
This is from a fairy tale. But while fairy tales are charming, scientists can accurately determine how animals, such as sheep, are raised and what they eat throughout the year.
The fine wool of a sheep grows about 10 millimeters each month. Undernourishment or illness is reflected in the wool by thinning, while abundant nutrition results in thickening. All these changes can be easily observed under a microscope. By measuring the wool at specific points, one can ascertain how the animal has been fed not just over the course of a year, but each month as well.
