Science Fiction Dictionary
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

 

InVitroMeat Foundation

Someone sent me a link to the InVitroMeat Foundation, a european organization dedicated to the idea that cultured meat (or pseudoflesh, as Frank Herbert put it), is just what we need.

The problem?

To produce 1 kg of beef requires approx. 6 kg of vegetable feed and no less than 7,000 kg of water. Besides, only a fraction of the slaughtered animal can be used for meat consumption, leaving the rest of the carcass as “waste” (with all the problems that entails)...

The above-mentioned problems will make themselves felt even stronger in the near future as worldwide meat production supply will dramatically fall short of demand generated by an exponentially growing world population. Alternatives such as organic farming and vegetable meat substitutes are not sufficient to eradicate the global problem outlined above.

The solution?

There is a strong need for a radical change, for an industrial, sustainable approach to the meat production process, one which does not generate any of these problems. The Vitro meat technology is based on the principle that meat production, which has always been “in-vivo” (i.e. in the form of livestock), can now take place “ex-vivo” (so without the use of livestock), in a scientific and economically totally viable way on the basis of newly developed stem cell technology, with all the positive results that that entails.

Using animal embryonic stem cells, the Vitro meat technology produces, on an industrial scale, healthy, genetically completely unmodified, high-quality, safe meat for human consumption.

Stalwart science fiction writers like H. Beam Piper were preparing us for this future almost fifty years ago; take a look at his description of carniculture from his 1961 novel Four-Day Planet.

Margaret Atwood point out that the waste parts of animals can be eliminated. Would you like some ChickieNobs from her 2003 novel Oryx and Crake?

"This is the latest," said Crake.

What they were looking at was a large bulblike object that seemed to be covered with stippled whitish-yellow skin. Out of it came twenty thick fleshy tubes, and at the end of each tube another bulb was growing.

"What the hell is it?" said Jimmy.

"Those are chickens," said Crake. "Chicken parts. Just the breasts, on this one.
(Read more about ChickieNobs)

Take a look at the InVitroMeat Foundation website and find out more.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/24/2008)

Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.

| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |

Would you like to contribute a story tip? It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add it here.

Comment/Join discussion ( 3 )

Related News Stories - (" Food ")

Holland Factory 3D Printing 500 Tons Of Steak Per Month
'...I don’t understand technical things — tell me, does it ever feel anything?" - Margaret St. Clair, 1955.

Robochef Robotic Food Prep
'No hand touched the food...' - Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1912.

Drone Deliveries Instead Of Waiters In Restaurants?
'It was a smooth ovoid floating a few inches from the floor...'- H. Beam Piper, 1962.

SliceIt! Why Not Teach Robots To Use Knives?
'One building now gushed forth smoke and another stench that was unmistakable.' - Anne McCaffrey, 1996.

 

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's   1950's
1960's   1970's
1980's   1990's
2000's   2010's

Current News

Musk Idea Of Cars Talking To Each Other Predicted 70 Years Ago
'My cars talk to one another.'

Elegant Bivouac Shelter Produces Water And Electricity
'There was nowhere on the planet where science and technology could not provide one with a comfortable home...'

X-Control Janus-1 A Suitcase Aircraft
'You will notice that it... fits the suitcase nicely.'

'AI Assistants' Are Actually Less Reliable For News
'Most men updated their PIP on New Year's Day...'

YES!! Remote Teleoperated Robots predicted by Technovelgy!
'...a misshapen, many-tentacled thing about twice the size of a man.'

Will Robots Ever Fold Landry?
Where have you gone, Mrs. Robinson?

Will AIs Give Better Results If You're Rude To Them?
'I said, "Listen up, motherf*cker.'

Cybertruck Robotic Arm F10 Drone Launch!
Drone away!

Black Fungus Blocks Radiation
'You were surrounded by Astrophage most of the time'

Liuzhi Process Now In Use In China
'He was in a high-ceilinged windowless cell with walls of glittering white porcelain.'

Reflect Orbital Offers 'Sunlight on Demand' And Light Pollution
'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors...'

Will Robots Become Family Caregivers?
'The robant and the tiny old woman entered the control room slowly...'

Chinese Tokamak Uses AI To Keep Fusion Plasma Stable
'Guy named Otto Octavius winds up with eight limbs... What are the odds?'

Time Crystals Can Now Be Seen Directly
'It is as you thought when you constructed the time crystal, my master Vaylan.'

RoboBallet The Dance Of Cooperative Robots
'...an integrated seven-unit robot team.'

Chrysalis Generation Ship to Alpha Centauri
'This was their world, their planet — this swift-traveling, yet seemingly moveless vessel.'

More SF in the News Stories

More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.