Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Petri Burger

hamburger helperA team of scientists has figured out a way to make meat without slaughtering farm animals! Instead, they're growing them in a laboratory. Here's how it goes: they take a few muscle cells from a live animal and let them grow and divide in a vat that maintains the animal's body temperature. Then it's continually stretched to keep the cells growing. A few weeks later, a sheet of meat can be peeled off and rolled into hamburger. Tada!

Sound gross? C'mon, the meat sold in stores now is already filled with so many chemicals, people would probably be better off having it grown in a petri dish. In fact, because cows are being fed corn and grains instead of grass, they have to be pumped full of antibiotics just to keep them alive. Those transfer to you when you eat them. It may not sound too bad to get your antibiotics with your meat, but remember, this is 1,200lb cow-grade antibiotics - not meant for a 150lb human.

However gross this new meat sounds, it will reduce the number of factory farm animals, which would mean a reduction in land and water pollution (1.6 billion tons of manure per year). The Dutch have invested nearly $5 million and plan to have the ground meat product in 6 years. The question is, would you eat it?

(originally posted on The Chief Source)

Tip of the day: Keep your car tuned up and proper tire pressure to increase efficiency.

2 comments:

tasci said...

So, the discussion in my flat ended in the idea that eventually you should just be able to go to the store and buy some cells and have your own lab at home instead of a fridge to "grow" whatever meat you'd like for dinner....Our poor poor poor children.

terra said...

Funny that you could have a serious discussion about this! I laugh every time I think about it.

I couldn't eat it.