Artificial, Vat-Grown Meat: Yum or Dumb?

[Coyote]

The notion of artificial, vat-grown meat is discussed here at MSNBC news website. The Dutch are the current leaders in this technology, but others are also very close to producing meat in vats that requires no animals to actually be raised and slaughtered.

The environmental implications for this are enormous:

Hanna Tuomisto, who studies the environmental impact of food production at Oxford University said that switching to lab-produced meat could theoretically lower greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95 percent. Both land and water use would also drop by about 95 percent, she said.

"In theory, if all the meat was replaced by cultured meat, it would be huge for the environment," she said. "One animal could produce many thousands of kilograms of meat." In addition, lab meat can be nurtured with relatively few nutrients like amino acids, fats and natural sugars, whereas livestock must be fed huge amounts of traditional crops.

Assuming the taste and texture was perfected, and let's say you couldn't tell the difference, or the differences were very slight, would you be willing to eat synthi-chow? I think that taste & texture are important, but if they could perfect this I'd be all over it like Genghis Khan on a Norweigan princess.

[Txur’Itan]

I would feed it to my pet.

But I would consider hunting for my food if this became the norm.

[Coyote]

But I would consider hunting for my food if this became the norm.

Actually, if vat-grown meat becomes the norm, and thousands of miles of land currently needed for farming and ranching were abandoned, then as wild land re-encroached there would be a lot more animals living free, and hunting could, in fact, increase.

Hmmmm.... 

[Toruk Makto]

 

I would feed it to my pet.

But I would consider hunting for my food if this became the norm.

I have to second that. I hate to say it, but anything that makes it easier to feed the bloated numbers of humanity on this planet is going to just make the problem worse. People will breed until the resources are consumed, no matter how much there is.

[Coyote]

I have to second that. I hate to say it, but anything that makes it easier to feed the bloated numbers of humanity on this planet is going to just make the problem worse. People will breed until the resources are consumed, no matter how much there is.

But do they? Look at population trends worldwide; in places where there is plenty to eat (the "First World") the birthrate goes down as parents concentrate resources on raising one or two healthy kids. As it is, with food scarce, they breed like rabbits because they expect a high attrition rate. It's counter-intuitive, but there it is.

[Toruk Makto]

But do they? Look at population trends worldwide; in places where there is plenty to eat (the "First World") the birthrate goes down as parents concentrate resources on raising one or two healthy kids. As it is, with food scarce, they breed like rabbits because they expect a high attrition rate. It's counter-intuitive, but there it is.

That's actually a very good argument. Perhaps instead of making more people, we just get fatter people 

[Tirealì'u]

Heard about the artificial meat.

I'd try it. :-P

I ate snail, I'll try anything.

[Suteyä Hawnuyu]

Sounds disgusting. I am sure that they are unable to duplicate the sublime tastes of a good cut of steak.

[Kretän]

So long as it tastes the same, I think this is a great idea. Even if its grown in the lab, its the same stuff (assuming they perfect it) and I personally wouldn't have any problems eating it. (Ok, maybe I'd be a bit unsure to begin with, wouldn't know what to expect, but i'm pretty sure it would work )

I wonder if it would ever be a crime to get meat from animals?
Lol, if this became the norm, in 300 years people will look back and be like "People used to chop animals up and cook them to get food. Disgusting. Aren't you gald you don't have to live in those times!" :O

Just like we look back on so many things in history. Operations without anaesthitic, throwing toilet waste into the streets. Disease, infection. Bad times! :O

[Suteyä Hawnuyu]

So long as it tastes the same, I think this is a great idea. Even if its grown in the lab, its the same stuff (assuming they perfect it) and I personally wouldn't have any problems eating it. (Ok, maybe I'd be a bit unsure to begin with, wouldn't know what to expect, but i'm pretty sure it would work )

I wonder if it would ever be a crime to get meat from animals?
Lol, if this became the norm, in 300 years people will look back and be like "People used to chop animals up and cook them to get food. Disgusting. Aren't you gald you don't have to live in those times!" :O

Just like we look back on so many things in history. Operations without anaesthitic, throwing toilet waste into the streets. Disease, infection. Bad times! :O

Perhaps it would work. Whenever I think of artificial meat, I think of a rubber slab that is oozing blood. If I keep that in my head, my brain will most likely warp the taste of the artificial meat in a detrimental way. I am sure that I am not the only one that would experience this; many others are not fond of change.

I think about that sometimes. One day, my kids will be asking me if I have any of my old 2000's clothes that they could wear for 2000's day at their school. Crazy stuff!

[Eyaye Tskxe]

This reminds me of an old sci fi story I read once... The premise was that all meat was manufactured, but one man took his son out hunting, and had "real meat", which the child described as far more delicious and succulent than the synthetic. It ended with the child examining the oddities of the creature they had hunted, most notably its pinkish skin, extruding ears and nose, and tuft of fur on the top of its head... But I digress.

I think that this would be a great step if we could pull it off. I would definitely eat it, as long as it was actually edible and tasty. Imagine being able to scale the tech down, and put it in the home! Pop a dish of cells into the make-meat-inator, and boom, instant meal. Obviously that's a little beyond our scientific reach now, but in time, who knows?

[Na'rìng]

It is an intriguing idea... But there are some extreme problems. First, good luck making a toned-muscle steak, although it would be soooo tender... Second: adding human enhancements to the food... How about naturally produced vitamins and minerals? It would be a challenge to reproduce that...

That's a couple of my thoughts.

[bagget00]

Is anyone reminded of the episode on Eureka where the syntha-chicken made everyone extremely dumb.
"Marco" "Marco!" "Marco!", "Your supposed to say polo", "Polo" "Polo" "Polo"

[Na'rìng]

Even though Eureka is science fiction, it does imply possible dangers of synthetic foods. Just add this drug, a dash of that drug, and a couple grams of this drug and BAM! You just became a brainless recruit for (insert organization/corporation/government/military/mad scientists here (RDA anyone? LOL!))

Who knows what is REALLY in that food? O.o

[bagget00]

Syntha-Chicken to the rescue!!!

[Kretän]

Even though Eureka is science fiction, it does imply possible dangers of synthetic foods. Just add this drug, a dash of that drug, and a couple grams of this drug and BAM! You just became a brainless recruit for (insert organization/corporation/government/military/mad scientists here (RDA anyone? LOL!))

Who knows what is REALLY in that food? O.o

Its the same now. Any food thats available on the market has had some form of processing/quality control. If people wanted to add anything t our food, they could do it :O

[Txonyä'ite]

I think its a great idea, as long as it tastes good it could do a lot for bringing some of the natural beauty back to the earth. Think of the slashing and burning going on in the amazon to raise cattle, it would stop because the incentive would be gone.

[Txur’Itan]

To understand why this is risky stuff, it may behove you to go to this website, folding@home - bad protein folds.  Much of this section of protein research is about the harm misfolded proteins can cause. 

Misgrown meat can mean misfolded proteins...

[tsmukan ftu Eywa]

It's good to have a third party site to prove a point, but please read and understand what they are saying. According to people like this Alzheimer's can be caused by: large use of medicines during one's life time, any during that is considered "soft drink"(s) smelling the fumes from paint, Yellow 4 and 5, red 4 and 5, Tylenol, any repeated movement over a course two or more years. and that's just a few I have heard over the coarse of this year. one of my rents has it so there is lots of searching for the cure and facts running through my house. the proven fact of this subject is it's hereditary.

^^ just saying

[Ptxèrra]

as finishing touch,
God created the dutch.

i wouldn't eat it though, its poisonous, veyom,
pet food? even i won't give it to my pets.