Weird Science chills its bison to keep them from shrinking

Some day soon, this might be full-scale.

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The true danger of climate change: shrinking bison. And things could get pricey if cows follow suit. This is the first time we here at Weird Science have seen a dataset that was quantified in terms of head of bison, but a sample size of a quarter-million is pretty good for most studies. Those quarter million bison were distributed across North America, allowing the researchers to see how the animals fared in various conditions. And the conclusion is that bison are not among the some who like it hot.

Although they can handle short term hot spells ("little effect of high temperatures on bison performance is observed"), they were generally smaller in regions that consistently experienced hot temperatures. (So, it's probably safe to watch your bison on a hot cycle, but don't let it have long sessions in the sauna.) The authors estimate that, if commercial cattle showed a similar pattern of shrinkage, each 1°C increase in temperatures would cost farmers a billion dollars.