Monday, February 13, 2012

Test-tube meat

Just over the horizon is a new product that can help feed the world while simultaneously reducing the scary-huge carbon footprint of our food.

It's test-tube meat. Or at least right now it's test-tube meat, soon it'll be bioreactor meat once it's scaled-up to industrial production.

Test tube meat can now be grown with less than half the energy of conventional beef production (growing actual cows), and about 4% of the greenhouse gas production. This is a very good thing. Still not as good as being a vegetarian, but better than any current meat product.

Another possible use of artificial meat (needs a better name, don't you think?) is aquaculture. With just a bit of artificial meat in the feed, fish farms can grow great fish with a lower resource demand than conventional fish farming.

And before you think the "yuck" factor is too big for this to work, just remember that we once thought test-tube babies were wierd but now people don't even blink at in vitro fertilization.

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