1 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you Should Know from House Stuff Works 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: Clark with me as always as Charles W. Chuck Bryant, 4 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 1: and um this here is stuff you should know the podcast. Welcome, 5 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: bien venue, Bill Coleman. What is that from the producers? 6 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: I don't know. Cabaret? Is that from something? Yeah? I 7 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 1: think maybe cabaret. I've never seen it. I don't know. 8 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: I just just saying welcome in different languages. Um so 9 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,559 Speaker 1: you're feeling good right now. I'm feeling better now that 10 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: we have gotten the Condom podcast out of the way. 11 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: I was a little bit uh sweaty oh yeah during 12 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:54,959 Speaker 1: that one. Got me all worked up. Um So now 13 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: we can talk about lab grown meat. What a great 14 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: one two punch, Jerry just giggling. We are talking lab 15 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,680 Speaker 1: grown meete man. We're talking about possibly the future of 16 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: humanity or what the future of humanity will eat. Um. 17 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: And this has kind of been a big thing ever 18 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: since two thousand one, which we'll get to a second. 19 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: Let's flash forward by flashing back to two eight when 20 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: Peter the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and 21 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: posted a one million dollar reward to the first researcher 22 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: that could come up with lab grown a K in 23 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: vitro a K a cultured meat that was commercially viable, 24 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: meaning it was for sale and within in ten states 25 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 1: by June two thousand twelve. That didn't happen. No, it 26 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: didn't happen. But Peter is very excited because they said 27 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: that October the first taste test of in vitro hamburger 28 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: took place. And I think we know who that was, 29 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: don't we? Was that the man? I believe it was 30 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: a guy named Gabor four Gas. Yeah, that's a funny name, 31 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: but he is one of the leaders in the lab 32 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: grown meat He's basically one of two. Yeah, there is 33 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: a Bill Gates and the Steve Jobs in the in 34 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: vitro meat game and Gibor four Ghacks. I take it 35 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,360 Speaker 1: as the Steve Jobs. Yeah. He's from the University of 36 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: Missouri and he's a tissue engineering specialist and he has 37 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: a company called Modern Meadows. Great name, it's a It's 38 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: one of the better company names I've heard of in 39 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: my life. Yeah, it really fits. It's not too clever, 40 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: you know. I hate the ones that are too like 41 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: not a winkie you know, like robo cow. Yeah, is 42 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: that another one? No, I just made it up. Oh see, 43 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 1: that's awful. That's great. I channel my inner John Strickling. 44 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: That's very good. Um, this is I just pictured Strickling 45 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: like just sticking his head in the door and saying 46 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: a robo cow. Um. So anyway, Modern Meadows is his 47 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: kind company, and their aim is to get this stuff 48 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: tasty enough and cheap enough to make it a viable 49 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,639 Speaker 1: solution for either people who want to eat meat but 50 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: have reasons to not, or to help solve the impending 51 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,079 Speaker 1: hunger crisis. Not impending, it's kind of already here right. Uh. 52 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: And apparently it may not have been four gacks. It 53 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 1: could have been. I don't know, but four Gacks definitely 54 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,799 Speaker 1: did a taste test himself earlier in two In two 55 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: thousand eleven, um, he went to a ted Med conference 56 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: and talked about his synthetic meat and then ate some 57 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: on stage, which is kind of weird because it's like, 58 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: but yeah, it's kind of weird. It's like, I mean, 59 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: I guess if you were like hawking hot dogs or something, 60 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: you would eat them in public. So that's not that odd. 61 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: And it seems at first blush. It's a little sounds 62 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: a little bit of a carnival barker, uh feel to 63 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: that though. They say that every great scientist is one 64 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: part BF Skinner, one part P. T. Barnum. Yeah, well 65 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: that's a principal Skinner said, oh yeah on the Simpsons. Yeah, 66 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: that's good. That's good saying though, like it. Yeah, um, 67 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: the other the Bill Gates or was that the Bill Gates? 68 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: I think four Gacks is Steve Jobs. Okay, so the 69 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: Bill Gates is Marquis Post from Night Court from TV's 70 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: Night Court. Oh no, Mark Post from my strict university UM, 71 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 1: which is in the Netherlands. Right, It's like these two 72 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: universities get their researchers swapped. Serious Mark Post is in 73 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,280 Speaker 1: the Netherlands and get more. Four Gas is in the 74 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: University of Missouri. So maybe they did an exchange program 75 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: or something. So Post is a vascular physiologist and he 76 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: and they said that they're not competing, no, And if 77 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: you look at their their stuff, they're coming up with 78 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,719 Speaker 1: two very different means to the same end eventually. But 79 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: who knows. Maybe they're friends. I would imagine that's a 80 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: pretty small community, the synthetic meat community. Yeah, they're probably 81 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: on each other speed dial, I bet, and they're supposedly 82 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: only about thirty groups working on this right now. But 83 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: what's what's mind boggling is just how much of an 84 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:10,360 Speaker 1: impact a breakthrough, a real breakthrough. And by breakthrough, it 85 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: was like you were saying four Gas said like, you 86 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: have to get it cheap, and you have to get 87 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 1: it tasty, and then you have to get the public 88 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,159 Speaker 1: to eat it. But how much of a real breakthrough 89 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,480 Speaker 1: that would be. If someone were able to do that, 90 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: it would be tremendous, okay, and potentially solve a lot 91 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: of problems that are impending. So this idea is not new, 92 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:34,479 Speaker 1: the idea of creating lab grown meat. The Churchill thing, Yeah, 93 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: you don't think that's exactly what we're talking about, Oh, 94 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: I guess so. Plus it's Winston Churchill. He's like one 95 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:44,239 Speaker 1: of the coolest people of all time, that's true. Before 96 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: he was a prime minister, Churchill predicted that quote, we 97 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:52,919 Speaker 1: shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in 98 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: order to eat the breast or wing by growing these 99 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:59,720 Speaker 1: parts separately under a suitable medium. And he was off 100 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: roughly by twenty years, you know, and he may have 101 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: meant like mass produced, like we'd be doing that by then. 102 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:11,919 Speaker 1: Fifty years in two thousand one, twenty years after his prediction, 103 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: UM or the deadline of his prediction. UM a guy 104 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: from um to O College. I've never heard of them. 105 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: I don't know New York Toro College t O U 106 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: r oh. I never heard of it either. Well. His 107 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:31,159 Speaker 1: name is Morris Benjaminson. His dad's name is Benjamin Uh. 108 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,159 Speaker 1: He came up with this idea to take gold fish 109 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: goldfish muscle cut fresh out of a live goldfish, which 110 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: is pretty bad for the goldfish, and then thrown into 111 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:48,719 Speaker 1: a vat of nutrient rich fetal bovine serum, which is Wow. 112 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: I wonder why use goldfish? That's what I don't get. 113 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:52,920 Speaker 1: Why didn't he use like talapia or something someone might 114 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: want to eat. I don't know. Maybe that was the 115 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: only thing that was handy. There was an office gold 116 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: he brought it into his little plastic bag. Wow, and 117 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:05,160 Speaker 1: instead of eating it live for his fraternity prank, he 118 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: grew some more. He actually grew fourteen percent more. Yeah. Um, 119 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: of what was what he put into this fetal bovine serum? 120 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: The cells divided, yep, they they were live, which is big, 121 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: but the serum coaxed it and continuing to divide and 122 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: again formed four percent more mass than was originally introduced. 123 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: More mass or did you write this, No, this is 124 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: Patrick Kiger, As Patrick puts it, fourteen percent worth of 125 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: additional flesh on the chunks. Yeah, I like your like 126 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: mass better than flesh on the chunks. Flesh on the 127 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: chunks is good name. Yes. So this guy has this 128 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 1: bit and he's like, holy cow, it worked, let's eat it. 129 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: So he tried to. He started to fry it up 130 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: with a bit of lemon olive oil and garlic and pepper. Right, yeah, 131 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 1: it makes great sense, and no one would eat I 132 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: would have tried it. I would have to. Actually, I 133 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: don't know if I would have tried the gold fish, 134 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: if it would have been something else. The goldfish is 135 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: still a big turn off. So his initial thought was 136 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 1: this could be great for astronauts, um, if they could 137 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: eat goldfish or I guess fake meat out in space. 138 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 1: That was his original thought was astronaut used. Isn't that 139 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: what everybody thinks Whenever you think of something made in 140 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: the lab that normally feature produces, it's like, oh, well, 141 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 1: ask you're not to go bonkers for this. Well, apparently 142 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 1: Benjamin said had the same idea like you said. But 143 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: as news of this got out, Um Peter and other 144 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:11,839 Speaker 1: animal rights organizations were like, whoa, whoa, wait, what did 145 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: you just do? We are full supporters of this idea, 146 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: because again People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the 147 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:24,960 Speaker 1: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. When 148 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: you eat a steak, when you eat um, pork or 149 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: bacon or ham, all these things come from an animals, 150 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: often lovable animal, but people still like to eat them. 151 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,200 Speaker 1: People still get nutrients from So if you take the 152 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 1: idea that an animal, a live, sentient animal, suffered and 153 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: died so that you could eat it and still eat it, man, 154 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: that's like, that's the bonanza right there, for at least 155 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: for people who object to eating meat for out of 156 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: cruelty and still want to eat meat objecting on the 157 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: grounds of cruelty to write to eating me um. In 158 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 1: two thousand eight in Norway, they had a conference first 159 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:12,839 Speaker 1: time ever on test duo meat, and they released a 160 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,719 Speaker 1: study saying, you know what, we could potentially manufacture the 161 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: stuff for five thousand dollars a ton which would make 162 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:24,319 Speaker 1: it competitive on an economic basis with real meat, um 163 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: by which is right now, they're about thirty different research 164 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 1: teams working on this. But like we said, I get 165 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: the feeling that post in igor what was his name, 166 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:40,079 Speaker 1: good boar good four gags are definitely the leting edge. Um. 167 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:42,319 Speaker 1: And I did a little calculating here, Chuck, if if 168 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 1: you don't mind, I found how much it cost in 169 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: Illinois in two thousand seven to raise a pound of 170 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:56,199 Speaker 1: beef and it was something like sixty five cents a pound, right, which, Um, 171 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: that's how much it costs to raise it right about now, 172 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 1: it's about eight a pound for ground beef retail. That's 173 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: like a markup of like four point five times for 174 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: chuck or for or are we just talking? I'm just okay, yeah, 175 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: I'm just this is just rough back of the envelope 176 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:18,200 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. Um. If if you took that five 177 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:25,080 Speaker 1: thousand dollars a ton um in vitro meat figure and 178 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: that's how much a custom manufacturer, and then also did 179 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: that same four point five time mark up, you come 180 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: to about eleven dollars a pound, which is pretty competitive. Yeah, 181 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 1: because I mean think about it, you're paying that much 182 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:42,199 Speaker 1: for filet, right. Uh, well, yeah, if this were marketed correctly, 183 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 1: it would seem even cooler than filet, and people see 184 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 1: it tasted kid. Yeah, And people pay a lot of 185 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: money for Kobe beef most times are not even getting 186 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,240 Speaker 1: kobe beef. You know about that whole thing, right, It's 187 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: it's a big a lot of times it's a big scam. 188 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,320 Speaker 1: I could see that because I mean, who knows, there's 189 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:01,319 Speaker 1: probably a handful of people in the world could differentiate 190 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 1: the taste of kobe beef from other beef. Yeah, exactly, 191 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,440 Speaker 1: even like really renowned restaurants are serving what they call 192 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: Kobe beef for a lot of money. It's not kobeb 193 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,720 Speaker 1: is messed up. It is messed up. That's like a lobster. Lobster, 194 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: the price of lobster is like in the basement right 195 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 1: now in restaurants are still charging as much as ever 196 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 1: for it and making tons of money, and but the 197 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: lobster men are just getting like the short end of 198 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:26,960 Speaker 1: the stick because there's a huge supply of them right now. Yeah, 199 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:28,679 Speaker 1: but in lobster, one of those where they usually don't 200 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,200 Speaker 1: say market price on the menu, isn't usually like just 201 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: straight up whatever it'll say market price even if it does, 202 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: and they're still charging you a bunch like what market 203 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: price used to be when the price of lobster actually 204 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: was high. I wonder if you could come in with 205 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: some numbers and say no, no no, no, that's not market price. 206 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:47,960 Speaker 1: Apparently you can argue with just about anybody really. Yeah, 207 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: and and often when you know, our buddy Julie was 208 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 1: in Maine. She vacations in Maine some and she said 209 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: they're like given her lobsters on her last trip, like 210 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: here's twenty lobsters, Like we don't want them to go 211 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:04,200 Speaker 1: to waste, Julie of stuff. Blow your mind, no, Julie 212 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 1: Smith O okay yeah our producer, Yeah you have TV um. Yes, 213 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:14,839 Speaker 1: it's because there's like a huge boom in the lobster population. Yeah. Man, 214 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 1: I love a lobster roll. Boy. We got really off 215 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 1: track here, all right, see a little there's synthetic lobster. 216 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 1: It's actually cod right. Oh, the that's imitation crab meat. Yeah, 217 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:32,959 Speaker 1: that's not synthetic though, it's imitation. Yeah, imitation, big difference. Alright. 218 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 1: So um, the Dutch team headed by Marquis Posts, they 219 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:41,040 Speaker 1: are using cow stem cells to create this meat, So 220 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,400 Speaker 1: they culture the stem cell little petrie dishes, put it 221 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 1: in a small container um to produce muscle cells. Sounds 222 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,559 Speaker 1: kind of gross, and they form little small pieces of 223 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 1: muscle about two centimeters long, centimeter wide, and a millimeter thick. 224 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:59,000 Speaker 1: And they say that it looks a little more like 225 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: calamari than any kind of a hamburger. And the taste 226 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 1: initially is pretty bland, right, And the reason the taste 227 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: is bland is because it's missing a lot of essential 228 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 1: ingredients to meat, like blood blood uh, fat, blood veins, 229 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 1: and it's such as muscle cells. But muscle fibers are 230 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,040 Speaker 1: you're eating? And do you know that it was only 231 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 1: within the last couple of months that I realized meat 232 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: steak is muscle mass. That told me that you were 233 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: shocked back then, And I was like, what do you 234 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: think it was? I I hadn't really thought of it. 235 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: I thought it was its own thing, like there's fat 236 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: muscle meat and then steak. Yeah, like that's really what 237 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,000 Speaker 1: I thought. And then I suddenly just I don't know 238 00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: why I was thinking about it. I think I wanted 239 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,040 Speaker 1: a steak, so I was thinking about a steak, and 240 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 1: I thought too hard and all of a sudden realized 241 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 1: what a steak was. Um. But yeah, so it's but 242 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,960 Speaker 1: it's not just this muscle, it's muscle fibers, it's fat, 243 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:56,000 Speaker 1: it's blood. It's like all this stuff comes together and 244 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: they're gonna have to really lick that before they can 245 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 1: make the stuff commercially viable. Absolutely. Um. One of the 246 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:06,360 Speaker 1: ideas that modern meadows using is to use a three 247 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 1: D printer to spray what they call bio inc which 248 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:13,840 Speaker 1: is muscle cells and stuff like that to build up 249 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: you know, they like spray many layers of the stuff 250 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: to build it up into like more viable meat option, 251 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: which is pretty cool. Three D printers pretty awesome to 252 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: hear about Japan's photo booth. They're opening the world's first 253 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:29,640 Speaker 1: three D printing photo booth. So you go in and 254 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:31,720 Speaker 1: you come out with like a little statue of you 255 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: or you and your your lady and yeah, yeah, I 256 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,280 Speaker 1: would do that totally. One that cost I don't know, 257 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: but I would guess a lot. It's sort of like 258 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 1: in vitro meat. All right, So what are the other 259 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 1: hurdles here? Um, it's tricky, Like you said, it's it's 260 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: a a mix of fuel and salt, and minerals and hormones, 261 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 1: and this is just to grow the cells that are 262 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: healthy enough to survive. Like that's not even talking about 263 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: getting it to look like a steak or a hamburger patty, 264 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:05,880 Speaker 1: because like you said, it's not just you know, it's 265 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 1: very complex a group of stuff in there. It's not 266 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: just like muscle and that's it. And uh, it's extremely 267 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: expensive right now. I think we were kind of touched upon. 268 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: But Mark Posts said that his his hamburger, the first 269 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:25,160 Speaker 1: one that he would ever make, would cost about grande. 270 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: But he's looking for a celebrity chef to cook it. 271 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: Kind of drum up business and gabor Um fo gas right, 272 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,640 Speaker 1: that's his last name, four gack four gack um. He 273 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: was saying his Modern Meadows stuff would be between umt 274 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 1: a d eighty bucks a pound, right, which like you said, 275 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: is competitive with Kobe. Yeah, and and that's four Gaxs 276 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:50,240 Speaker 1: sees this as he I don't think he sees it 277 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 1: as like, hey, this is gonna be the everyday solution. 278 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: He sees it as a niche industry. Um. He also 279 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: said that his first product is more likely going to 280 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,440 Speaker 1: be leather because it's not as regulated and it's a 281 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 1: little easier to accept us for the public at large. Um. 282 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 1: He also was saying that as far as creating food goes, 283 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:13,919 Speaker 1: like we are imaginations immediately jumped to building a steak, 284 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 1: building a hamburger, building like a pork chop or something 285 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 1: like that. Right. He was saying, probably the first stuff 286 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 1: that we're gonna see is gonna be like flower And 287 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: he pointed out in this one CNN article we read 288 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,400 Speaker 1: like you don't eat flour for flowers and like everything 289 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,640 Speaker 1: that you eat. Um. And he was saying, like, this 290 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:37,160 Speaker 1: will be stuff to create meatballs with or pete. It's like, 291 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: instead of taking a chicken and chopping it up and 292 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,879 Speaker 1: then using it in that pett a, you would, you know, 293 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 1: use it although more as an ingredient rather than like 294 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,440 Speaker 1: the steak on the plate. Exactly, at least for now 295 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: makes sense. Um. This could potentially be a great thing 296 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:59,199 Speaker 1: for many reasons, uh, one of which is uh not, 297 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,720 Speaker 1: the least of which is that lab grown meat would 298 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:09,920 Speaker 1: have about seventy eight for your greenhouse gasses less land obviously, 299 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 1: eighty two to ninety six percent less water, and eight 300 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:17,400 Speaker 1: percent of the world's greenhouse emissions come from the livestock 301 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: sector right now. And you know from what well, gas 302 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:26,719 Speaker 1: and and gas, yeah, two types of gas. Yeah, like 303 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: have a methane problem from cow poop and gas and 304 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 1: then all the gas used to you know, obviously take 305 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: care of the industry. And plus it's also just a 306 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:39,080 Speaker 1: lot more energy efficient. We use a hundred grams of 307 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:42,919 Speaker 1: grain to produce fifteen grams of meat. That's a fifteen 308 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,239 Speaker 1: percent efficiency, because what are you doing, chuck, when you 309 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 1: like feed something something, right, you take um, you take 310 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 1: the energy found in a plant and feed it to 311 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 1: an animals's energy transfer, but you lose apparently you're thinking um, 312 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: with lab grown meat, the energy fficiency will be like, 313 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:04,880 Speaker 1: that's awesome. And some of the other costs. To grow 314 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:10,680 Speaker 1: a pound of beef regular beef necessitatesallons of water, twelve 315 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:13,520 Speaker 1: pounds of grain, thirty five pounds of top soil, and 316 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: the equivalent energy wise of one gallon of gas to 317 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,959 Speaker 1: grow a pound of meat just one pound of ground beef. Right, 318 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,240 Speaker 1: So you've got a lot of people abstinding for meeting 319 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: meat because of the animal cruelty aspect um. You have 320 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 1: a lot of people saying it's just socially irresponsible to 321 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:34,120 Speaker 1: eat meat um, and then you have people who, um, well, 322 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:35,960 Speaker 1: I guess that's it, right, that's the only reason people 323 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:39,960 Speaker 1: don't eat me. Uh yeah, well people like my wife 324 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: who don't like the taste. Okay, well this is not 325 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:44,719 Speaker 1: gonna appeal to hur at all. They're no, no, no, um. 326 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: But you were saying like that these this the environment 327 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: or ecological consumption that it takes to create a pound 328 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:55,200 Speaker 1: of meat. Apparently they think that meat production is going 329 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 1: to have to um double in the next forty years 330 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:02,680 Speaker 1: because of increasing incomes around the world. Typically, when your 331 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 1: GDP goes up, your consumption of meat goes through the roof, 332 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,119 Speaker 1: and China and India are on the way up, and 333 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:13,119 Speaker 1: they're thinking that meat is going to get in higher demand. 334 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 1: Not enough land, Like right now, I think it said 335 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 1: seventy of dry land on the earth is used for 336 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:27,399 Speaker 1: either grazing or some factor of livestock. So like, what 337 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,160 Speaker 1: are you gonna do there's not that much more land 338 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:32,480 Speaker 1: left to just use for cattle. Well, what they would 339 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 1: do is the price of meat would just go up 340 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 1: and up and up. Yeah, it would just become more scarce. 341 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:39,399 Speaker 1: I guess yeah, until this is but as the price 342 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 1: of meat rises the economic sensibility of lab grown meat 343 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: will become more viable. Yeah, you know, because I mean, 344 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: right now, one of the things that's so cost prohibitive, 345 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:53,879 Speaker 1: aside from the fact that it looks like calamari and 346 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,680 Speaker 1: it tastes plan Yeah, they said it potentially could be 347 00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:01,120 Speaker 1: healthier to UM. Jason Matheni, director of New Harvest. It's 348 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 1: a nonprofit research org, and they said that it would 349 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: have health advantages like UM because it's easier to control 350 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: pathogens and a lab and fat content could be systematically controlled, 351 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 1: making it healthier. Like we're gonna put this layer of 352 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,399 Speaker 1: fat in with our three D printer because you need 353 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,360 Speaker 1: the fat. That's where the lot of flavor comes from. 354 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:22,200 Speaker 1: Definitely gotta have fat. And then you just got to 355 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 1: convince people once it gets cheap enough and tasty enough. 356 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 1: Like you said, the third hurdle is like eat fake 357 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 1: meat people, right, you'll like it, trust me. I think 358 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: the big lesson is to not call it something like 359 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 1: soil and green modern meadows is perfect. Yeah. I wonder 360 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 1: what posts the name of his group is. I didn't see, 361 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,679 Speaker 1: did you. I don't know. I would taste this just 362 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 1: you know, if they I wouldn't pay three dollars for 363 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:53,920 Speaker 1: a hamburger. But um, I would taste it just to 364 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: see what it tasted like. But I don't know. It 365 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 1: sounds kind of gross to me. I would would try it. 366 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,320 Speaker 1: But a lot of people say that eating meat is 367 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,600 Speaker 1: gross this year. So before you send in those emails, 368 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,200 Speaker 1: let me cut you off. I understand that. Good, go 369 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:38,040 Speaker 1: and chock. Uh. If you want to learn more about 370 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: lab grown meat or any kind of things like that, 371 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 1: you should check out the innovations channel on how Stuff Works. 372 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:46,880 Speaker 1: It's pretty awesome. UM, go to how stuff Works homepage 373 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:52,639 Speaker 1: and you will see in the top navigation bar Innovations 374 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:54,679 Speaker 1: is one of the channels that we have. Click on that, 375 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: or you can just search for lab grown meat in 376 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 1: the handy search bar how stuff works And I said 377 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 1: andy search part, which means it's time for listener mail, 378 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: Josh and Canna call this mentor ship email. UM, Hi guys, 379 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,359 Speaker 1: my name is Colin, and I've been listening to you 380 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:12,880 Speaker 1: guys since the Viking episode. I've never really been diligent 381 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: with emails, but I always wanted to write in. I'm 382 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:17,200 Speaker 1: in my senior year of high school and involved in 383 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 1: a class called Independent Study mentorship. This program works like 384 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:23,840 Speaker 1: an internship for high school students. We're responsible for finding 385 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:27,400 Speaker 1: a mentor in which ever career field we are interested in. 386 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,320 Speaker 1: We do hands on work with our mentors, and throughout 387 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: the year we compile a portfolio that will eventually be 388 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: a binder filled not with women, but with everything we 389 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: take part in and research throughout the year. It will 390 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,400 Speaker 1: end up about as thick as a good sized dictionary 391 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:44,879 Speaker 1: or two. My whole reason for writing you, guys is 392 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:47,240 Speaker 1: to thank you for doing the podcast. I've been able 393 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:50,639 Speaker 1: to get by without research for about a dozen or 394 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:53,639 Speaker 1: so topics for essays and projects because you guys usually 395 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,280 Speaker 1: cover far more than my school curriculum does. Um. I've 396 00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: even been moved up to several advanced classes. Wow, thanks 397 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: to you. Keep on doing what you're doing. It's great. 398 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 1: And if I happen to get a mention at the 399 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: end of an episode, I'd be pleasantly surprised. I've always 400 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 1: kind of wanted to mention. Here you go, Colin. That's 401 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:13,160 Speaker 1: all you need to do is ask yeah, way to go? Well, 402 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: you have to ask an excel at school because of us. Yes, 403 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:18,239 Speaker 1: And he says, feel free to mention my name if 404 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:20,479 Speaker 1: you find this worth mentioning. And yes, I did say 405 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 1: y'all because I'm from Texas and everyone from Texas is 406 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 1: required to inform everyone else that they're from Texas. That's true? 407 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: Is it all right? Well Colin from Texas, good luck 408 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,080 Speaker 1: with your mentorship, buddy. And uh, I think it's a 409 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:36,879 Speaker 1: marketing he said, and drop his line. Let's know how 410 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 1: it went. Uh, that's awesome. Yeah. Uh, let's see what 411 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,119 Speaker 1: do you want to ask for, Chuck? Oh, would you 412 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: eat in vitro meat? Let's let's get that debate going. 413 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:48,800 Speaker 1: Huh sure, And you know what, We're gonna cover factory 414 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 1: farming because we got a lot of I got a 415 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 1: lot of heat because I went off on bull fighting 416 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:57,240 Speaker 1: and a lot of vegetarian said, well, how can you 417 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:00,720 Speaker 1: go off from bullfighting and eat meat? Um? So I'm 418 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:02,479 Speaker 1: gonna make up for that by doing like a factory 419 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:05,640 Speaker 1: farming podcast. Well that's great? Can I do it too? 420 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:11,080 Speaker 1: You can sit in, You can tweet to us at 421 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 1: s Y s K podcast. You can join us on 422 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: Facebook dot com slash stuff you Should Know, and you 423 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 1: can send us a good old fashioned email to Stuff 424 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:27,399 Speaker 1: Podcast at Discovery dot com for more on this and 425 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:38,440 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics. Does it, how stuff works, dot com, 426 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: m