By David Draper

“Test tube hamburgers to be served this year.”

While it sounds like something out of The Jetsons, that recent headline from Britain’s The Telegraph is enough to make me shudder. And I hope all of you feel the same about the article’s alarming news that scientists are creating artificial meat in a laboratory.

The article quotes Professor Mark Post of the Netherlands’ Maastricht University as saying, “In October we are going to provide a proof of concept showing out of stem cells we can make a product that looks, feels, and hopefully [Author’s Note: the emphasis is mine] tastes like meat.”

The article goes on to state:

Although it is possible to extract a limited number of stem cells from cows without killing them, Prof Post said the most efficient way of taking the process forward would still involve slaughter.

He said: "Eventually my vision is that you have a limited herd of donor animals in the world that you keep in stock and that you get your cells from [sic] there."

Each animal would be able to produce about a million times more meat through the lab-based technique than through the traditional method of butchery, he added.

While I understand the continued overpopulation of the earth is creating a demand for meat that, the article says is “…forecast to double within the next 40 years,” I will never be able to fathom even trying meat that hopefully tastes like the real thing. I think I’ll stick with feeding myself from Mother Nature, eating hunter-killed meat, which not only tastes good and is good for you, but also brings back good memories of where I was when I pulled the trigger.

That’s something some scientist in a lab will never be able to replicate.

Comments (13)

from Koldkut wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

There are some things that science just shouldn't eff with, this is one of them.

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from country road wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

I'd rather have the real thing, but one thing I've learned in my life is, "Never say never."
What does it taste like and how much does it cost?

I know I've had some delicious "Krab" seafood dishes, and although I'd rather have fresh snapper fried light, I don't mind a belly full of other good tasting food, no matter what its origin.

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from jpierce1 wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

This is really nothing new. They've been able to propagate cells like this for a long time. The only trouble they've had with growing a muscle is that it is hard to grow a whole muscle on a scaffold model and provide nutrients for the whole thing without vascularization. It has been no problem, though, to grow muscle tissue with a closer consistency to ground meat (maybe we could even call it "slop") in a lab. Anyone who is interested in this type of stuff should really look into Anthony Atala's work with engineering organs.
This does bring about some interesting moral and ethical questions about the future in bioengineering, though. For example, there is no reason this couldn't be done with human cells, but does that make the resultant meat human, since it was grown in a lab?

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from Steward wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

I'd rather shoot a deer.

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from bassman06 wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

I think the whole story is bull! Also, Steward, as much as I'd like to agree, I'd shoot a hog over a deer, I can get Breakfast, dinner and supper in a day!

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from A Wild Beast at... wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

And I bet that PETA is loving it.

BTW, I'd rather kill what I eat.

Please, read my blog. Just google "A Wild Beast at Heart".

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from baconboy206 wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

i consider this a very good thing, sure i would rather eat meat from an actual animal, but if they could mass produce this it could put a serious dent in starvation. To try and say this is a bad thing is just ignorant, this technology has the potential to save millions of lives.

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from dadsmom wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

The only thing I have seen growing in a p-dish in the lab you certainly wouldn't want to eat. EEK!

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from Phil1227 wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

I think I'll stick to corn feed beef that I raise myself.

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from dleurquin wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

It probably tastes like chicken.

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from Ruckweiler wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

Why have artificial when you can have the real thing? Is this virtual beef?

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from FarmeralIdaho wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

As. A farmer/rancher I say nothing is better then USA grown beef, pork, & lamb, I don't trust genetically altered foods and I wouldn't trust meat made in a laboratory. I recently read an article and watched a video about a Japanese scientist producing "meat" made from the "mud" from sewage plants. Anyone ready for a turd-burger?

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from tybow99 wrote 1 year 13 weeks ago

This could be good for mass production for 3rd world countries, but is it as good as real meat?

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from Koldkut wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

There are some things that science just shouldn't eff with, this is one of them.

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Phil1227 wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

I think I'll stick to corn feed beef that I raise myself.

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from country road wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

I'd rather have the real thing, but one thing I've learned in my life is, "Never say never."
What does it taste like and how much does it cost?

I know I've had some delicious "Krab" seafood dishes, and although I'd rather have fresh snapper fried light, I don't mind a belly full of other good tasting food, no matter what its origin.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Steward wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

I'd rather shoot a deer.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from A Wild Beast at... wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

And I bet that PETA is loving it.

BTW, I'd rather kill what I eat.

Please, read my blog. Just google "A Wild Beast at Heart".

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jpierce1 wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

This is really nothing new. They've been able to propagate cells like this for a long time. The only trouble they've had with growing a muscle is that it is hard to grow a whole muscle on a scaffold model and provide nutrients for the whole thing without vascularization. It has been no problem, though, to grow muscle tissue with a closer consistency to ground meat (maybe we could even call it "slop") in a lab. Anyone who is interested in this type of stuff should really look into Anthony Atala's work with engineering organs.
This does bring about some interesting moral and ethical questions about the future in bioengineering, though. For example, there is no reason this couldn't be done with human cells, but does that make the resultant meat human, since it was grown in a lab?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from bassman06 wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

I think the whole story is bull! Also, Steward, as much as I'd like to agree, I'd shoot a hog over a deer, I can get Breakfast, dinner and supper in a day!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from baconboy206 wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

i consider this a very good thing, sure i would rather eat meat from an actual animal, but if they could mass produce this it could put a serious dent in starvation. To try and say this is a bad thing is just ignorant, this technology has the potential to save millions of lives.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from dadsmom wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

The only thing I have seen growing in a p-dish in the lab you certainly wouldn't want to eat. EEK!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from dleurquin wrote 1 year 16 weeks ago

It probably tastes like chicken.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Ruckweiler wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

Why have artificial when you can have the real thing? Is this virtual beef?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from FarmeralIdaho wrote 1 year 15 weeks ago

As. A farmer/rancher I say nothing is better then USA grown beef, pork, & lamb, I don't trust genetically altered foods and I wouldn't trust meat made in a laboratory. I recently read an article and watched a video about a Japanese scientist producing "meat" made from the "mud" from sewage plants. Anyone ready for a turd-burger?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from tybow99 wrote 1 year 13 weeks ago

This could be good for mass production for 3rd world countries, but is it as good as real meat?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.