Radiolab The Resistance of a Cow
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Apr 17, 2026 A strange dairy mystery: cows across countries stop drinking water and start drinking urine. Farmers suspect invisible electrical forces near power infrastructure and Viking-marked buildings. Reporters trace history, protests, and scientific tests about stray voltage and cow sensitivity. Tensions flare between electrical explanations and nutritional or barn-design alternatives.
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Cows Drinking Urine At A Farm Beside Viking Link
- Gregus Christensen's herd began refusing trough water and instead drinking each other's urine at his barn next to the Viking Link power station.
- Gide, a local investigator, fled saying she sensed a horrible energy coming from the nearby black power building covered in runes.
Minnesota Farmer Jill Nelson's Years Of Declining Herd Health
- Jill Nelson in southwest Minnesota saw cows avoid drinking normally and lap urine starting around 2008, worsening over years.
- She watched cows become fidgety at parlors, lose appetite, and some die, prompting her to sue the power company.
Behavioral Tests Defined Cow Sensitivity To Electricity
- UW–Madison experiments pulsed small currents through cows and measured subtle behavioral reactions like head twitches and hoof movements.
- Researchers equated the sensation to a nine-volt battery on the tongue to set behavior-based thresholds.
