In 2013, Maastricht University physiologist Professor Mark Post created a lab-grown burger patty using muscle cells from a cow — a world first, and a possible solution to the resource challenges that come with raising cows for beef:
Traditional farming of animals, especially of cattle, requires a large amount of water and land. According to a 2011 study published in Environmental Science & Technology, cultured — or lab-grown — meat can “potentially be produced with up to 96 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions,” 99 percent lower land use, and 96 percent lower water use than traditional cattle.
If lab-grown meat is more efficient — cheaper, faster, more environmentally friendly — than farm raised beef, and if it can help provide for hungry populations around the globe, is it something more people will start eating? And… what is it exactly?
From Eater, this is how lab-grown meat is made, an animated step-by-step look at what sounds like science fiction, but might be the meat of the future.
Also, check out this Euronews report on the original lab-grown meat taste test:
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