Alternative

[John4216]

From time to time I have posted in this section about my hope that science can help stop the need to kill animals for food. I wanted to add a little update to this after watching WOSU tonight.

They were showing the growing of body parts in the lab. They showed where they have grown and implanted 7 bladders with no rejection since 2003 along with other advances.

This shows that the future of "growing" meat that actually is "meat" in all respects is coming close. If we can do this (for those that can not bring themselves to stop eating meat or do not have the option) than this can help to bring stop the killing of animals. You would only keep a very few animals for their cells and you would want those animals to be as healthy as possible.

Perfect solution? No. But it is one step closer and cannot only help reduce animal suffering it could also have many other positive effects on the environment, reduce starvation, etc.

[Char-x]

Thats great news

[JarBax]

Hmmm, doesn't sit right with me.

[gpigluver14]

Even if I wasn't a vegetarian, I still don't think I'd eat it. I mean cloned/genetically modified meat can't be that good for you. And it just doesn't sound appetizing (speaking if I was an omni).

[John4216]

LOL, it is not cloned or modified in anyway. They extract the cells, in this case the bladder, and allow them to grown and replicate and form a new bladder around a mold. The mold is taken away and a new bladder remains.

[Alusdra]

Huh. Do you have a link for it? (Maybe not as it was on TV). I'd be interested to know what cells they were using exactly. You would need stem cells or something to get it to grow, plus how do they get it to have all the specialized structures and enervations of a bladder? Are the animals continent?

[thalestral]

That falls under "modified" to me. Completely unnatural. I wouldn't eat plants grown in a petri dish and the idea of meat being "grown" in this way is even more icky in many respects.

Given how many vegetarians are so for health reasons as well as ethical reasons I don't see this being popular at all. Hopefully it will at least give people cause to think about their health if nothing else.

[John4216]

Originally Posted by Alusdra

Huh. Do you have a link for it? (Maybe not as it was on TV). I'd be interested to know what cells they were using exactly. You would need stem cells or something to get it to grow, plus how do they get it to have all the specialized structures and enervations of a bladder? Are the animals continent?

Actually it was not on animals it was humans who have had the bladders grown and replaced. It was on WOSU Wired Science last night, I'll try to find a link for it.

[cavycrazy123]

Originally Posted by thalestral

That falls under "modified" to me. Completely unnatural. I wouldn't eat plants grown in a petri dish and the idea of meat being "grown" in this way is even more icky in many respects.

Given how many vegetarians are so for health reasons as well as ethical reasons I don't see this being popular at all. Hopefully it will at least give people cause to think about their health if nothing else.

Hmmm, I kind of agree how it's unnatural. I also agree with gpigluver14, I wouldn't eat the meat anyway. It's a step in the right direction, though...

[Char-x]

I dont think I would eat the meat, but I hope it happens and I hope it becomes popular...it would minimised slaughter houses if it did.

[rxqueen]

New Harvest - Advancing Meat Substitutes

This is the site for a study on "cultured meat" which is basically real meat grown from the cells of farm animals. The idea is to create a safer alternative to meat that comes directly from an animal.

I think this is what you are talking about. From what I read it is supposed to be pretty safe.

[deathnotronic]

So wait, could these grown organs be for transplant use?