Nature: Holy Cow

Have we changed the cow - or has the cow has changed us? Human history, biology, agriculture and economics have all been affected by this most influential farm animal. Societies which learned to domesticate the cow prospered, while those that did not were left behind. The cow is an animal that has evolved to eat pretty much anything and miraculously transform it into milk and meat, and a whole range of other products that sustain our daily lives - clothing, fertilizer for our crops, fuel for our fires. A valuable commodity to some, religiously revered by others, it is a beast of burden, a means of transportation, a way of life. This creature's many gifts have sustained and supported the human race on our journey to civilization, and each of us continues to owe a daily debt to the humble, extraordinary and holy cow.