Test-Tube Burgers Ready By Fall

[Gahars]

I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and assume that a majority of the people on this site eat meat, and of those people, I'm sure a good amount have at least tried a hamburger. Sure, they're good, but they are also problematic; the massive amount of cows we use are contribute to global warming (From their farts. Seriously, not making that up.) and deforestation.

So yeah, that's a pretty major problem. How do we balance our need for food with the necessity of preserving the planet? Well, leave it to science to swoop in to try and save the day.

The world's first "test-tube" meat, a hamburger made from a cow's stem cells, will be produced this fall, Dutch scientist Mark Post told a major science conference on Sunday.

Post's aim is to invent an efficient way to produce skeletal muscle tissue in a laboratory that exactly mimics meat, and eventually replace the entire meat-animal industry.

Source: Yahoo News

Now, it's worth mentioning that this is still in the very, very, very early stages of development, but the idea behind it is definitely promising. If it's successful, the impact could be enormous (Cheaper food produced at a much faster rate and all that). This will definitely raise some ethical questions (Would meat created in a lab be acceptable for vegetarians/vegans?); I'm looking forward to seeing how they might be resolved.

Of course, I'm also looking forward to the next logical step: putting science together to create Super Meat Boy in a laboratory. One day, perhaps...

 

[Bladexdsl]

eat recycled food it's good for the environment and OK for you

seriously though i dont think i'd eat this...

 

[RupeeClock]

There's a name for this, In vitro meat, which is meat that was never part of an complete, living animal.
Even PETA are in support of this, and they're crazy.

Whilst a lot of people may argue that artificial meat may have a lot of problems, consider that with enough developments, In vitro meat may be even easier to regular than slaughtered meat, where meat can be grown in test tubes easily free of diseases like foot and mouth.

But hey, at least it's not a burger made from protein taken from turds.

 

[Bladexdsl]

But hey, at least it's not a burger made from protein taken from turds.

i remember reading about that SHIT making me sick

 

[Hells Malice]

Interesting.
It'll only work if it tastes identical (or I suppose better works too) than real meat. Otherwise people will just laugh at it and ignore it. It'd become budget meat that you eat if you can't afford the good stuff (which isn't that bad either, mind you. Makes food cheaper).

 

[Bladexdsl]

so how long till mcd starts using this?

 

[pokefloote]

If it really does mimic natural meat, I'd go for it.

 

[Foxi4]

Interesting.
It'll only work if it tastes identical (or I suppose better works too) than real meat. Otherwise people will just laugh at it and ignore it. It'd become budget meat that you eat if you can't afford the good stuff (which isn't that bad either, mind you. Makes food cheaper).

Yeppers. It needs to have identical or *better* (which doesn't seem to be an issue given the genetical engineering involved in the process) and it has to be affordable. Then, market it as "healthy", conviniently forget to mention the fact that it "grew on a tree" and you've got yourself a gold-eggs-laying-hen... cow, that is.

 

[KingVamp]

But hey, at least it's not a burger made from protein taken from turds.

Yeah, you can't argue with that.

Seriously tho, if it basically meat, but from a lab, I think I'm ok with that.
Having no bad side effects of course...

 

[Midna]

I find this more appetizing than regular meat. Go science.

 

[roastable]

Anybody remember those crap burgers from Japan that were posted a while ago?
Thank goodness someone came up with this...

 

[Bladexdsl]

you really need to start reading the whole thread

 

[Foxi4]

I have a weird feeling that at least one wacko "defend the rights of animals" group will step forward and idiotically say "leave the cow fetuses alone, we don't want stem cells in our sandwiches!" and f*ck everything up, proving that the life of a cow is more important then hundreds of the poor and starving across the globe.

 

[Depravo]

so how long till mcd starts using this?

They'll start using it the second it becomes cheaper than real cows.

 

[Wizerzak]

I would eat this stuff just for the fun of science. Don't care what it tastes like.

 

[chyyran]

I am not going to eat synthesized meat.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Many people think this would utterly repulsive but I've heard plenty of horror stories about cooking a burger at your local Burger King for instance.

Sadly this is probably a better process. Fortunately I don't have to deal with either method of getting a burger.

 

[Foxi4]

I've heard plenty of horror stories about cooking a burger at your local Burger King for instance.

The chain restaurants are not the ones you should be concerned of - they have strict sanitary rules and are often controlled by inspectors.

It's the little cornerstores and booths with semi-suspicious burgers that you should be worried about. Their stuff is usually delicious, but it's best not to know how it came to be.

 

[kupo3000]

I'll eat this to advance science.

 

[Skelletonike]

I find this a pretty good idea, but, I wouldn't eat it... I'm all for natural food, be it vegetables (I don't eat those that were grown faster artificially or those that used lots of artificial fertilizers), or meat, I only enjoy food that I know is 100% pure and natural, that doesn't stop me from going to a McDonalds for example, but for home cooking, natural all the way.