The fifth episode of a new PBS show called NOVA scienceNOW airs Tuesday, January 10, 2006, at 8 PM ET. The story lineup — a look at planet Xena (yet another "10th planet" candidate), stem cell research workarounds, a pandemic flu "explainer," the un-extinct Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, and the rise in the number and intensity of hurricanes and the link to global warming, and vat-grown meat — looks interesting.
Make room, meat-lovers. Vegetarians, take note. Jason Matheny, a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland, has proposed methods of tissue engineering–cloning the muscle cells from farm animals and producing them outside of the animals' bodies–that could lead to the affordable production of lab made meat that does not require the killing of animals. It's a good idea in theory, and one that would be easier on the environment. Because of all of the water, grains, chemicals, fertilizers–and everything else it takes to turn the grass into cows and the cows into meat and get the meat to your house–getting food from animals takes a lot of energy, generates lots of waste, and can even make us sick. But how does lab made meat taste? Texture is one area that still needs some work. The biggest obstacle, however, is an economic one. Perhaps the technology will be there in five or ten years. Right now, however, a kilogram of beef would cost about a million dollars–no small sum to pay just for a hamburger.
