Food/In-vitro meat

Using the same methods as regenerative medicine, it is becoming possible to take a few cells from the muscle of an animal and — by exposing them to the right conditions — encourage them to grow into a large sheet of meat.

In-vitro meat has already been created successfully ^[1], but there is still work to be done on making it efficient enough to do on a large scale and on getting the texture and taste right. Muscle grown in this way has never been exercised, so it has a wasted texture. However, researchers are confident they can overcome these challenges.

If this technique is perfected, it would be possible to grow millions of kilos of meat from a single animal. This would require much less land, water and energy than raising livestock, and enable us to have steak without animals dying or suffering. The same method could also be applied to creating leather, fur and other animal products.