Friday, March 1, 2013

Menu for the Day: 3D Printed Meat




We’ve heard of 3D printers able to create medical implants out of metal powder and handguns out of plastic. These materials were created from scratch through additive manufacturing called 3D printing. Straight from a CAD drawing, the manufacturers were able to produce the material or part they need without too much hassle and cost. Impressive, right? This is exactly what gave ModernMeadow, a Missouri-based company, the idea to start generating meat from 3D printing.           

Through funding from billionaire investor Peter Thiel, the company is trying to develop a regenerative medicine that will allow 3D printing to bring meat replacement from cultured cells to the dinner table. If realized, this technology will greatly reduce the cost of raising large animals for their meat and, likewise, cut down gas emissions from meat production. Soon, everyone will be able to put a feasible facsimile of steak on their table without spending a lot of money.

The technology is still in its early stage, but Modern Meadow believes that it’s getting close to the real thing. Once unrolled, this 3D printed meat replacement will be like a synthetic steak out of a Star Trek episode. It’ll be like a science fiction dream come true.

Image source: http://www.exponent.com/meat-consumption-and-cancer/

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