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Scientists Use Stem Cells To Grow Animal-Free Pork In a Lab (digitaltrends.com)

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports describes research "designed to generate muscle from a newly established pig stem-cell line, rather than from primary cells taken directly from a pig," says co-author Dr. Nicholas Genovese, a stem-cell biologist. "This entailed understanding the biology of relatively uncharacterized and recently-derived porcine induced pluripotent stem cell lines. What conditions support cell growth, survival and differentiation? These are all questions I had to figure out in the lab before the cells could be turned into muscle." Digital Trends reports: It may not sound like the most appetizing of foodstuffs, but pig skeletal muscle is in fact the main component of pork. The fact that it could be grown from a stem-cell line, rather than from a whole pig, is a major advance. This is also true of the paper's second big development: the fact that this cultivation of pig skeletal muscle didn't use animal serum, a component which has been used in other livestock muscle cultivation processes. [Genovese] acknowledges that there are other non-food-related possibilities the work hints at. "There is a contingent interest in using the pig as a model to study disease and test regenerative therapies for human conditions," he said.

126 comments

  1. That's nothing by Atmchicago · · Score: 5, Funny

    Washington, D.C. has been growing animal-free pork for the last two centuries.

    --

    You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it dissolve.

    1. Re:That's nothing by hey! · · Score: 1

      People are literally animals. And politicians are figuratively as well as literally animals.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    2. Re:That's nothing by msauve · · Score: 1

      Kibo mentioned this years ago.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    3. Re:That's nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and mcdonalds has been selling pork-free mcribs for years.. they aren't "meat-free", we just haven't identified it yet.

    4. Re:That's nothing by stereoroid · · Score: 1

      Then the Congresscritters grab it, pack it in to barrels, and ship it back to their districts ...

      --
      (this is not a .sig)
    5. Re:That's nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      McRibs are mechanically separated pork, formed into weird patty. No rib meat to be found in it, though.

    6. Re:That's nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not before skimming off the top for their 'donors'.

    7. Re:That's nothing by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      People are literally animals. And politicians are figuratively as well as literally animals.

      Yeah, but they're not mammals...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    8. Re:That's nothing by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Not to be confused with 'doners'. Those are lamb, allegedly.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    9. Re:That's nothing by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Lots of pork organ/sphincter meats.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    10. Re:That's nothing by Anonymous+Cow+Ward · · Score: 1

      I don't care what meat they are (mostly), they're delicious.

      --
      Examine even your most deeply held beliefs. Nobody is always right.
    11. Re:That's nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People are literally animals. And politicians are figuratively as well as literally animals.

      ...but some animals are more equal than others.

  2. Finally ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Does it mean that the Pork can be declared Halaal now ?

    1. Re:Finally ! by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      Does it mean that the Pork can be declared Halaal now ?

      That depends on how you kill it.

      And where in the lab do you look to check if the hooves are cloven?

      Is that mushy churning sound coming from the vat the meat chewing its cud?

      And don't top off a lab pork & bacon burger with lab pork cheese.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  3. Call me when by cdsparrow · · Score: 2

    I can go to a restaurant and order roast slig...

    1. Re:Call me when by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 2

      Kentucky Fried Spotted Owl!

    2. Re:Call me when by Notabadguy · · Score: 1

      That would be when you're a slave and bonded to an Honored Matre.

    3. Re:Call me when by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kentucky Fried Kittens

    4. Re:Call me when by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think I may be scarred now and I only saw the mental image.
      http://cdn.smosh.com/sites/def...

    5. Re:Call me when by bmo · · Score: 1

      Quahogs stuffed with lab-grown pork chorizo*, bread crumbs, onions, celery, and honest-to-goodness piping plover.

      PPTLC.

      --
      BMO

      *Because slashdot does not do unicode I had to spell it the inferior Spanish way instead of Portuguese.

      Piping Plover Tastes Like Chicken.

    6. Re:Call me when by WheezyJoe · · Score: 1

      You date yourself, my friend. Gotta read books to get that reference (or you can cheat and search Wikipedia).

      --
      Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...
    7. Re:Call me when by sconeu · · Score: 1

      And... it's a horribly bad book series. Herbert probably should have stopped after "Children", or even just "Dune".

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    8. Re:Call me when by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Still better than 'Ender's Game'. OSC should have stopped at the short story.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    9. Re:Call me when by WheezyJoe · · Score: 1

      I guess that means you didn't like "God Emperor" much. It was ok by me, and I liked where Herbert was going in the new series with "Heretics" and "Chapterhouse" (different, but it grew on me), but then death interfered, and now we must rely on Herbert's son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson to imagine what would have happened next. I haven't read any of those, but it seems reviews are decidedly mixed.

      --
      Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...
    10. Re:Call me when by sconeu · · Score: 1

      To be fair, God Emperor was OK, but I hated Heretics and Chapterhouse.

      I read the Butlerian Jihad series and the Caladan series, but couldn't bring myself to read the Brian/Kevin sequels to the main series.

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  4. Mmmm! meat pudding! by Billy+the+Mountain · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The trouble is meat is more than just cells, it's also non-cellular proteins. If all you can produce are lot's of animal cells then I think you've just invented meat pudding.

    --
    That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
    1. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

      If all you can produce are lot's of animal cells then I think you've just invented meat pudding.

      You say "meat pudding" as if it were a bad thing.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    2. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " If all you can produce are lot's of animal cells"

      ...and extra apostrophes too. "lot's" would mean "lot is", "lot was", or something belongs to the "lot".

    3. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Don't be so porkdantic.

    4. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If all you can produce are lot's of animal cells then I think you've just invented meat pudding.

      You say "meat pudding" as if it were a bad thing.

      Crap!!! I was just about to hit the 'preview' button when I glanced downscreen a bit and realized that you had already said almost exactly what I had just written!

    5. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You say that like it would be a good thing.

    6. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't they already have that ?

    7. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      So you're big fan of potted meat product then?

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    8. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Or so ham-fisted.

    9. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      You say "meat pudding" as if it were a bad thing.

      Actually, just call it "blood pudding", serve it with baked beans and tea, and you have a "full English breakfast".

      On a side note, this was the real reason behind the "Brexit". Eurocrats in Brussels wanted to mandate the EU breakfast as a stale plastic croissant and a thimble of muddy coffee, which left the UK with no other choice than to leave the EU.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    10. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      So you're big fan of potted meat product then?

      Goes great with American Pasteurized Cheese Food Product Substitute.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't be so pig-headed!

    12. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's called "black pudding", not "blood pudding", although the main ingredient is blood. You also need sausage, egg and bacon for your "full English", also normally comes with tomatoes as well, but I'm not sure if that is a required component.

    13. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      You can't have any pudding if you don't eat your meat

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    14. Re:Mmmm! meat pudding! by Ryanrule · · Score: 1

      Yeah we have British food already.

  5. What produces those proteins? by raymorris · · Score: 1

    What produces these "non-cellular proteins" which wouldn't exist in a mass a muscle cells?

    1. Re:What produces those proteins? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collagen

    2. Re:What produces those proteins? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It may (depending on how they grow it) miss everything that is in blood.

  6. Stem cells? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOL that's so XXth century, I thought we're all about 3D printed meat these days?

    1. Re:Stem cells? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let me know when we can 3D print something resembling a sandwich even if it's not edible.

    2. Re:Stem cells? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      We already have 'extruded foods', so their is a potential pallat for printed food.

      Extruded foods:
      Cheezy poofs.
      Slim Jims
      Corn nuts

      You could print a slim jim on cheesy poof 'sandwich' with a two head printer.

      I'm sure there are many more 'extruded foods'. Noodles are often extruded, but require cooking after.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  7. Get to the point... by Plus1Entropy · · Score: 1

    How does it taste?

    --
    Only crack the nuts that crack. You don't put the ones that don't crack in the sack.
    1. Re:Get to the point... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Like chicken.

    2. Re:Get to the point... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Take a look at what happens with a child's personality/intelligence if you let it grow up in a closed, single room, with very few mental stimuli, rigorous routine and only the bare minimum to stay alive.

      Now imagine the analog for that meat.

    3. Re:Get to the point... by rmdingler · · Score: 1

      Like veal.

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    4. Re:Get to the point... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

      How does it taste?

      From: Better Off Ted Season 1, Episode 2: "Heroes" :

      • Jerome [tasting meat made in lab]: It tastes familiar.
      • Ted: Beef?
      • Jerome: No.
      • Linda: Chicken? We'll take chicken.
      • Ted: What does it taste like?
      • Jerome: Despair.
      • Ted: Is it possible it just needs salt?
      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    5. Re:Get to the point... by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 1

      Take a look at what happens with a child's personality/intelligence if you let it grow up in a closed, single room, with very few mental stimuli, rigorous routine and only the bare minimum to stay alive.

      Ahh, so the pork meat will be a democrat!

      --
      _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
  8. Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Vegans rejoice!

    Captcha: Mistake.

  9. Next step, combine with slug... by RhettLivingston · · Score: 1

    It's always great to see progress towards even the wackiest of sci-fi predictions... http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Sli...

  10. We're halfway to ManBearPig! by HouseOfMisterE · · Score: 1

    Welcome him.

  11. Science fiction.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Science fiction before, say, William Gibson:
    1. most science fiction writers or readers enjoyed crazy concepts as entertainment ("brain candy)
    2. but didn't really believe most of it was feasible
    3. and if it was feasible didn't really believe people were crazy enough to actually do it

    They were wrong

    Time to go back and watch some bad 1950's science fiction movies to prepare for the next thing that may destroy us all.

    ===
    By the way, the issue of pork grown in a vat was the basis of a recent episode of Elementary (US TV Show). Pretty good episode.

    1. Re:Science fiction.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2000ad (a British comic) was well ahead of the game with this. In the Mega Cities they've have "Hottie trees" since the early 1980s. Trees that grow synthetic hot dogs.

      Then again they also had "fly in the sky" miniature surveillance drones that continually scan the citizens so they've always been *WELL* ahead of the game.

      A truly Zarjazz tome !

  12. Animal free? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    not unless those stem cells came from a plant.

    1. Re:Animal free? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a poorly worded title, but I think they mean "free of an animal's body" i.e. they didn't have to grow a whole pig to get pork.

      Or they might be referring to the part about not using animal serum to cultivate the cells?

  13. Fill in the missing letters by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Let me try being slightly less subtle. Let's fill in the missing letters:

    Muscle collagen is produced by _uscl_ _ell_ .

    So if you have muscle cells growing, they'll probably produce _olla_en.

    1. Re:Fill in the missing letters by Crashmarik · · Score: 1

      Bones
      Marrow
      Skin

      You need a scaffolding. Notice their prior success was a 1200 dollar meatball. I wonder if the song is right, and you really don't get no bread with one meatball.

    2. Re:Fill in the missing letters by Crashmarik · · Score: 1

      In case that was before your time https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  14. How to get stem cell research funded ... by perpenso · · Score: 4, Funny

    How to get stem cell research funded ... promote it as a way to get more bacon.

    How to get human stem cell research funded ... promote it as a way to get a new heart after all that bacon.

  15. What if ... by Mostly+a+lurker · · Score: 1

    ... they did this with a human cell stem line? Would those eating the end result be practicing cannibalism?

    1. Re:What if ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mmmm... Long Pig... tasty !!!

    2. Re:What if ... by jsrjsr · · Score: 1

      Well, if you are what you eat, we want to start with cells from an athlete with an IQ of 160.

    3. Re:What if ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Makes me think of "Wendy meat" in Rudy Rucker's Freeware - cloned from the buttock of senator Stahn Mooney's wife.

  16. In Riyadh they're asking....... by Vinegar+Joe · · Score: 1

    "Where's my BLT???"

    --
    "The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
  17. Animal cells by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    How is this "Animal-free" when they're still using animal cells?

    1. Re:Animal cells by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What they mean is that no animals were harmed or killed during the process, and the growth took place entirely outside of an animal's body.

      It's a poorly worded title, since they did use a pig's stem cells.

  18. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

    Vegans rejoice!

    I don't think so. My daughter is a vegan, and she says she wouldn't eat this, because the original stem cells still came from an animal. It may be grown in a vat, but it is still "meat".

  19. Kosher? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Is there a Posek to decide the Halakha on whether this "meat" is Kosher? AFAIK, there exists no halakhic precedent. Please comment below if you know of any legal precedents...

  20. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Then your daughter needs to work out why she is a Vegan.
    It obviously has nothing to do with animal cruelty or even animal death.
    She is making it into another pointless religion and not a serious reason for sensible people to do good.

  21. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees!

    If the aim of veganism is to protect the welfare of animals, and you can clone a cell line from an animal (possibly without even hurting it) then I don't see how this wouldn't ultimately benefit animal welfare.

    A cell is a cell. Even the plant cells she's eating originated from a common ancestor with animals (plants and animals are all eukaryotes). So unless she's going out of her way to avoid consuming microorganisms as well, such a stance seems kind of silly to me.

  22. Drivers Of Technology by cstacy · · Score: 2

    1997 -- The Internet is for porn
    2017 -- Genetics is for bacon

  23. Myth Buster!!! by jandersen · · Score: 2

    ...pig skeletal muscle is in fact the main component of pork.

    As anybody knows, who has eaten a pork sausage, the main components of pork are in fact soy bean, flour, sawdust etc.

    1. Re:Myth Buster!!! by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 2

      That is only because you haven't eaten good ones.

      --
      Time to offend someone
    2. Re:Myth Buster!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know what's in wieners? Well, there's cows' eyes, and dogs' heads... and of course, wiener flavor!

  24. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    By that logic she should probably also refuse to use products and services supplied by people who do eat meat.

    I would like to see how that works out.

  25. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by gerf · · Score: 1

    I like the vegan ideal because it creates less entropy.

  26. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You need to work out why you think everybody needs some scientific or moral reason to not eat meat. I don't eat mayonnaise. I don't eat it because it's fucking disgusting. What's it to you?

  27. Obligatory Clarke - Lab Grown Meat. by bmo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Food of the Gods. (Arthur c Clarke)

    Itâ(TM)s only fair to warn you, Mr. Chairman, that much of my evidence will be highly nauseating; it involves aspects of human nature that are very seldom discussed in public, and certainly not before a congressional committee. But I am afraid that they have to be faced,; there are times when the veil of hypocrisy has to be ripped away, and this is one them.
    You and I, gentlemen, have descended from a long line of carnivores. I see from you expressions that most of you donâ(TM)t recognize the term. Well, thatâ(TM)s not surprising-it comes from a language that has been obsolete for two thousand years. Perhaps I had better avoid euphemisms and be brutally frank, even if I have to use words that are never heard in polite society. I apologize in advance to anyone I may offend.

    Until a few centuries ago, the favorite food of almost all men was meat-the flesh of once living animals. Iâ(TM)m not trying to turn your stomachs; this is a simple statement of fact, which you can check in any history bookâ¦

    Why, certainly, Mr. Chairman, Iâ(TM)m quite prepared to wait until Senator Irving feels better. We professionals sometimes forget how laymen may react to statements like that. At the same time, I must warn the committee that there is very much worse to come. If any of you gentlemen are at all squeamish, I suggest you follow the senator before itâ(TM)s to lateâ¦
    Well, if I may continue. Until modern times, all food fell into two categories. Most of it was produced from plants-cereals, fruits, plankton, algae and other forms of vegetation. Itâ(TM)s hard for us to realize that the vast majority of our ancestors were farmers, winning food from the land or sea by primitive and often back breaking techniques; but that is the truth.
    The second type of food, if I may return to this unpleasant subject, was meat, produced from a relatively small number of animals. You may be familiar with some of them-cows, pigs, sheep, whales. Most people-I am sorry to stress this, but the fact is beyond dispute-preferred meat to any other food, though only the wealthiest were able to indulge this appetite. To most of mankind, meat was a rare and occasional delicacy in a diet that was more than ninety-percent vegetable.

    If we look at the matter calmly and dispassionately-as I hope Senator Irving is now in a position to do-we can see that meat was bound to be rare and expensive, for its production is an extremely inefficient process. To make a kilo of meat, the animal concerned had to eat at least ten kiloâ(TM)s of vegetable food â"very often food that could have been consumed directly by human beings. Quite apart from any consideration of aesthetics, this state of affairs could not be tolerated after the population explosion of the twentieth century. Every man who ate meat was condemning ten or more of his fellow humans to starvationâ¦

    Luckily for all of us, the biochemists solved the problem; as you may know, the answer was one of the countless byproducts of space research. All food-Animal or vegetable-is built up from a very few common elements. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, traces of sulphur and phosphorus-the half-dozen elements, and a few others, combine in an almost infinite variety of ways to make up every food that man has ever eaten or will ever eat. Faced with the problem of colonizing the moon and planets, the biochemists of the twenty-first century discovered how to synthesize and desired food from the basic raw materials of water, air and rock. It was the greatest, and perhaps the most important, achievement in the history of science. But we should not feel too proud of it. The vegetable kingdom had beaten us by a billion years.

    The chemists could now synthesize and conceivable food, whether it had counterparts in nature or not. Needles to say, there were mistakes-even disasters. Industrial empires rose and crashed; the switch from agriculture and animal husbandry to the giant auto

    1. Re:Obligatory Clarke - Lab Grown Meat. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you,
          Having read so much of Clark & Heinlein's work from youth onwards, I now realize (thanks to this excerpt's isolation from my normal reading time & environment), that I speak like this. Prefacing my main intents with back-stories, all while acknowledging impatient listeners... deferring them to my story's end. This is really weird. And it took a mid-day reading experience to experience it- but there it is. BMO you are the lens of the year, thanks.

    2. Re:Obligatory Clarke - Lab Grown Meat. by syntotic · · Score: 1

      Body, Digest Thyself. It does not work. How do you think African achieve some of their best Homeless and most disfigured, misshapen interesting specimens roaming the subway?

  28. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Technically if everyone became vegan, we'd just ramp up plant production and farming, and still having the same amount of entropy.

  29. For breakfast by MrKaos · · Score: 2

    Facon

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    1. Re:For breakfast by VanessaE · · Score: 1

      Nonono -- Fakin' Bacon

  30. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Veganism is indeed a religion. It posits that non-human animals have rights that humans don't have, to wit, the right to eat animals.

  31. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2

    You need to grow around 40 times as much plant matter to feed a food animal and turn it into meat than you need to produce the equivalent amount of nutritional value directly from plants. That said, part of the reason that we eat ruminants is that they can digest a lot of plant matter that we can't. Some land is suitable for growing grasses but nothing that humans can eat. The most efficient use of this land for providing food is to use it for feed crops (though much of it could also be used for biofuel these days).

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  32. Pohl is the earliest vat-fooding I know of by fyngyrz · · Score: 1

    2000ad (a British comic) was well ahead of the game with this. In the Mega Cities they've have "Hottie trees" since the early 1980s. Trees that grow synthetic hot dogs.

    Well ahead, eh?

    Try reading "The Space Merchants", by Frederic Pohl, published in 1952.

    --
    I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
  33. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by religionofpeas · · Score: 1

    You also need to eat other things, because plants don't provide a complete spectrum of nutrients. Same applies to lab grown meat, by the way.

  34. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There are 3 main reasons for veganism:

    * Animal welfare
    * Personal health
    * Environmental issues

    So a vegan wouldn't necessarily be willing to eat lab-grown meat. I'm about 80% vegan, and I personally would consider it, but I highly doubt the technology will be perfected within my lifetime. I am, however, open-minded enough to recognize that "lab-grown" meat will eventually dominate in the future.

  35. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

    Why do people keep repeating this? People have been living on meat-free diets for centuries and even in the '60s it was shown that a sensible diet will provide the full range of nutrients that humans require.

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  36. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Where did you get that number from? At school we were taught the efficiency per step was about 10% as a rule of thumb.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  37. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by religionofpeas · · Score: 2

    They keep repeating this, because it's true. There's no B12 in plants, for instance.

  38. 3D print me some bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NOW I'd buy a 3D printer... Yum!

  39. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by lurcher · · Score: 1

    I'm about 80% vegan

    So are most omnivores. But if it makes you feel better they you call yourself a 4/5th Vegan.

  40. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1
    There are tons of things not in the food, vegan, lacto-vegetarian, ovo-lacto-vegetarian nor in full red meat. Our bodies can synthesize, and do synthesize it. Of course there are things we can't synthesize. Vitamin C for example. Most mammals can synthesize vitamin C. Only the bats and primates who adopted a fruitarian diet some 30 million years ago lost it. The entire gene factory to synthesize vitamin C exists in our DNA, but a key sequence is lost thus rendering it inoperative DNA.

    But B12 is something we can synthesize. It is the gut bacteria complex that generates B12. B12 created in colon gets excreted and does not get absorbed. But enough gets created in small intestine, it is enough. B12 is very efficiently recycled by the body.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  41. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Dare+nMc · · Score: 1

    > they can digest a lot of plant matter that we can't.

    Also a lot of the reason we eat meat is also that it winters well and stores well. Fresh fruit and vegetables in NY in February is being grown on mostly naturally arid land in Arizona and California watered from unsustainable water sources... and then shipped across the country using tons of fuel. Where as meat stores and ships per calorie, per nutrient much cheaper as it is more dense. Granted canning and freezing of some fruits and veges works well also. But it seams we need more GMO improvements and sustainable veggie growth for a vegan diet to be as sustainable as a sensible meat diet (preferably not beef in most areas though.)

  42. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by religionofpeas · · Score: 2

    If our gut bacteria can produce enough B12, please explain why deficiency is so common. http://www.bmj.com/content/349...

  43. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's measuring by meal count, which I believe is most practical. For me, about 4 out of every 5 meals is 100% vegan. For the vast majority, 0 out of every 5 meals is 100% vegan. Most "omnivores" not only eat meat with every meal, they eat dairy with every meal. Sometimes they don't even realize it -- sneaky ingredients like whey are common in processed foods.

    Regardless, I don't even think your're correct if measuring by weight. Meat accounts for most of the weight in any standard "omnivore" meal. If it makes you feel better, you may be correct if measuring by bite.

  44. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't think you know what "right" means. Or "religion" and obviously not "veganism". Veganism is a dietary restriction, that's all. The reason for observing it may or may not be religious or ethical in nature, perhaps relating to "rights" (like the right not to be tortured, is there a name for that?). But it is an important technical distinction I would hope was plainly recognized on a site for technical minded people. That said, I am not a vegan.

  45. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by lurcher · · Score: 1

    That's measuring by meal count, which I believe is most practical.

    Well, maybe most practical in terms of supporting your idea that you are 80% vegan, but I think a more representative way would be to look at the food consumed over a larger time, say a month. I could just as easy argue that I am 95% vegan, as I spend less that 72 minutes a day eating, but when I eat my diet is 100% animal based. if you are vegan, you dont consume animal products, if you are not vegan the chances are you are a omnivore. Being 80% vegan is functionally equivalent to not being a vegan. Most folk would just say they don’t eat much meat, but I suspect you think "80% vegan" says something better about yourself.

  46. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by PPH · · Score: 1

    And the voices are telling me that I need more B12 in my diet.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  47. But is it Kosher? by neoRUR · · Score: 1

    But is it Kosher?

  48. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where is the god or supernatural belief? Does that make other civil rights religions too? Believe black people deserve equal consideration, you're now part of a religion? Believe women deserve equal consideration, welcome to the cult! Believe other animals deserve consideration, and now you're part of a religion?? Where are the tax-deductible churches???

    And to be more accurate, veganism posits that animals aren't ours to exploit; veganism doesn't talk about 'rights', nor is it that specific. Please check definitions before you go spouting about that which you don't know:

    "Veganism denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude – as far as is possible and practical – all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals, and the environment." - as defined by The Vegan Society, which began in 1944 because vegetarians had no clear focus.

  49. Is it Kosher / Halal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can children of Abraham eat this stuff? Also what if they synthesize long pork. Will that mean I can finally eat human flesh w/o those muckidy mucks looking down upon me?

    why are the answers to these questions not more freely available.

  50. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Are you only 80% self righteous asshole as well?

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  51. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not even bacon and will cost us billions in subsidies. If it were bacon and affordable, great. It's not and you would choose bacon of this crap. Even if it were cheaper. The point of veganism, is to reduce animal suffering and also make humanity sustainable. Currently near term human extinction, is much closer than we are told. Were this tech be mature, and freely available, at a price that, say a grow kit made sense to a single mother. I'd support it. In it's current state, it's an experiment that could help. It's still much more complicated than that.

  52. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

    People have been living on meat-free diets for centuries

    Vegan != "meat-free"
    Vegan == "meat+dairy+egg+honey-free"

    Vegetarian diets that include milk and/or eggs have all needed nutrients. Vegan diets do not, and need supplements. The supplements are easy to get, but they are not "natural" and neither is veganism.

  53. Re:Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you trying to imply that eating vegan 4 out of 5 meals doesn't make a difference in each of the 3 points I listed? If so, just come out and say it. Otherwise, why are you so focused on this? It wasn't even the point of my original comment. Is it really that critical to earn points with the slashdot anti-vegan crowd?

  54. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

    grown on mostly naturally arid land in Arizona and California watered from unsustainable water sources

    The biggest use of water in California is irrigation of pasture for beef and dairy. If you think meat uses less resources than soybeans, you are delusional.

  55. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > Where is the god

    Animals.

    > or supernatural belief?

    Unnecessary. But feel free to call it a 'faith' rather than a 'religion' if you like.

  56. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by PoopJuggler · · Score: 1

    People don't take care of their gut flora. Why is iron deficiency (anemia) the most common nutritional deficiency in a meat-eating population?

  57. Would Jules eat it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Jules: "I just don't dig on swine, that's all. Pigs are filthy animals"
    Vincent: "Ah, but if the pork was grown from stem cells in a petri dish, it would cease to be a filthy animal, is that true?"

    Now I can find out if cloned sewer rat tastes like pumpkin pie!

  58. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by PoopJuggler · · Score: 1

    The fact that I can't assert my dominance and tear your throat out for entering my territory is also not natural. Or that I can't take a shit wherever I want to. Or rape a female. As intelligent beings we have deduced that certain things are "bad" so we don't do those things anymore. Exploiting and murdering animals is one of those things. It has nothing to do with being "natural".

  59. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Canned fruits and vegetables keep for years. People eat meat because it tastes good, period. As a whole, we are addicted to the pleasure of eating. That's why people get so angry, literally ANGRY, when you try to take away their meat. That is an incredibly irrational response, except in the context of addiction. Even if you offered to trade people free veggies for life in exchange for not eating meat they would turn you down. That is an illness.

  60. Great news for Jewish peeps! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We can finally eat the nectar of the gods and not feel guilty!

  61. Re:Science fiction....Nutripon and Chicken Little by hguorbray · · Score: 2

    reminiscent of the Nutripon food taken from a vat grown piece of chicken meat substance called 'Chicken Little' in John Brunner's most excellent (and somewhat visionary) novel called 'The Sheep Look Up':

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sheep_Look_Up

    https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-sheep-look-up-2

    http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41074.The_Sheep_Look_Up

    The Nutripon is meant to be a cheap protein substitute and the bad things that happen in the book are not specifically due to the Nutripon itself although it does become a plot element,

    -and as a bonus, for those who thought 10-20 years ago that Reagan or Bush 2 filled the bill for the cavalier Prexy character, Trump brings an evil clown vibe to it that makes it even scarier....

    -I'm just sayin'

  62. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > Veganism is a dietary restriction, that's all.

    Disagree. Veganism is a political movement centered on a dietary restriction.

    The name was coined by the Vegan Society ffs.

  63. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You tipped your ideological hand when you used the word 'murder.' Are sharks, lions, and bears 'murderers' too?

    The whole premise of animal rights is self-contradictory. If animals are people and people are animals and animals eat animals and animals eat people, why shouldn't people eat animals?

  64. Re: Yay! Cruelty-free bacon! by Dare+nMc · · Score: 1

    Your right, the worst of the meat is likely worse than the worst of the vegetables for impact. But, trying to say their should be no chicken, fish, or pork just because a very small portion of the beef is grown in CA and it shouldn't be grown in that one place, just is not a good argument. The majority of winter vegetables are grown in these places that are not sustainable, that should be minimized. The worst of the meat should be minimized as well. But Bison has grazed the plains of Wyoming long before people farmed. To say we cannot sustain-ably make that part of the national diet would be folly IMHO.

  65. Still not Kosher by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The cells came from a living animal, not kosher.

    The origin of those cells are from an animal that is not kosher, MUST have split hooves and chew its cud.

  66. Why were we not told Pork was about to go extinct? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Religious persecution finally achieved critical mass to achieve Pork extinction that we can to cultivate it from stem cells? And only one stem cell line at that, skeletal muscle! Not even the fatty tissue? We ll have to hope for Mammoth revival to provide enough hamburguers for the bleak dystopian future. RIP, Pork.