Researchers have grown cow embryonic stem cells into muscle tissue. There is only a small problem - the steak will cost over 300 thousand dollars
The present entry was originally published in the February issue of Scientific American-Israel, and was edited by the faithful hands of Dorit Ferns and Dr. Eitan Crane. My thanks go to both of them.
Anywhere and at any time you can find people who have chosen the wrong profession. Moshe was a representative example: a butcher from the old generation, who at the same time managed both a small and elite butcher's shop inherited from his father, and a tiny dairy farm in one of the moshavs. Among my circle of friends he was known as a source of the best and freshest meat in Israel. Moshe took good care of the farm animals he raised until the very last moment. The cows' hides shone with health, the chickens roamed freely in the yard and the calves enjoyed their first months of grace as much as they could. The visitors would come to the place to order the pieces, and Moshe would produce and prepare them until the next morning. In the midst of all this joy, I would always find Moshe with a frown on his face. He is not happy to have visitors to the place. He loved his animals and developed the habit of cringing slightly every time a new customer entered the barn.
But today was different.
"Good morning, Mr. Cezana," he greeted me cheerfully, lifting his head from the tender calf he was feeding from a large nursing bottle. His cheeks were flushed, and his lips curled up in the closest twitch to a smile I'd ever seen on his face.
"Good morning, Moshe," he greeted back, "why are you so happy today?"
"I just read in the newspaper about a new and wonderful progress," he revealed to me, motioning for me to bend down beside him so he could share his secret with me. "Something really extraordinary. Research that is going to result in all the meat in the world being produced in laboratories."
"Oh, you mean synthetic meat from the lab," I said and sat down on the straw. He nodded in approval. I took the liberty of detailing. I do this from time to time, when the due date for the column approaches. "We have been working on this development for several good years, in different laboratories around the world."
"Yes," he nodded vigorously. "I read about it in Scientific American-Israel*. Biologists in laboratories use animal cells, such as fish, pig or cow, and make them divide and reproduce in a solution, until there are millions or even billions of them. And these can be combined into a steak and fried in a pan! isn't that great When do you think this invention will reach the market?"
"Yes..." I hesitated for a moment. Who said the truth is always the solution? “But you know there are still problems, right? Usually it is not enough to grow the cells, because they also need to connect together in a three-dimensional way that simulates a muscle. To get them to do this, they are physically stretched using special machines, or they are allowed to grow on a grid so that the cells must stretch to reach beyond the holes."
"Minor details," he dismissed with a wave of his hand.
"Could be," I agreed, "but in the end the commercial success of technologies depends on the small details. Add to that the fact that the synthetic meat is grown in sterile petri dishes and irrigated with very expensive growth media, and you realize that this technology is going to be very expensive. Probably far too much will happen to the common man."
Moshe's hand continued to hold the bottle near the calf's head. I saw the milk shaking inside the small container. "So the synthetic meat is not going to reach industrial production?"
"Not in the next decade," I said sadly. "And maybe not in the next decades either. But you know, Moshe, maybe it's better that way. Still, it might be worth sticking with the natural, tried and tested stuff. There's a reason the first synthetic hamburger, which is expected to be produced in September 2012, will have a price tag of $345,000. It's just too expensive for us."
He continued to watch me, in silence. A few moments passed, and his chin dropped to his chest in a convulsive nod. The bottle was dropped to the side. He pushed the calf aside, but his gaze never left my eyes.
"Yes," he said. "For us, it's really too expensive."
8 תגובות
ah,
It is quite similar to beer. Not tasty at first but it's an acquired taste!
I ate a human once, and it was nothing. Cow is much tastier.
Soon the cheapest will be to eat people. And also the most delicious. Roy Tsenza will grow a city of people for me, so I don't worry, I will always have something to eat, I will go to the supermarket and the organs of delicious people will be packed in plastic. Roi Tsenza will raise them, and not slaughter them himself, because he will pity them and love them too. So he will send them to some butcher, and the butcher will butcher them. And the butcher will ration them and his assistant will wrap them in plastic and put them in the refrigerator in the supermarket. And I will come and buy for Shabbat, a woman's chest, or a man's, I don't care. I'm terribly hungry.
Roy
A spirit of wisdom and jokes, colors your articles
On the one hand, it's Naim Meranin, on the other hand, here
Perhaps more scientific than literary.
If I understood correctly, it can be grown in the laboratory today
Meat with all its qualities, however, because the cost
So high he won't replace the meat
The natural food. in the coming years.
I loved it, as always. Thanks.
If God didn't want us to eat cows, he wouldn't have made them meat
(I could not resist)
You sound like a cross between a primitive Neanderthal and a serial killer licking his lips for his daily pint of blood.
Switch to a vegan diet already.
Evolve.
Blackmail on the novel writing