It was the taste test the world had long awaited… What would be the first reaction to a properly fried “hamburger grown in a lab?” As one might expect, it lacked a bit in flavor, but it doesn’t sound like they used any of the spices — not even salt and pepper — you’d use with a conventional burger, nor did they slap it on a bun with a slice of tomato, onion, lettuce, and condiments.
It’s been years since PETA ( People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ) announced their competition for commercially viable lab grown meat and the deadline had past with the only progress taking place more recently. To keep the momentum apace, the deadline has now been extended on the $1 million prize until 2013.
Shmeat is a colloquial nickname for lab grown meat, but what is it exactly? What does the process look like and what prospects does it hold for the future of animal welfare, the environment, and human nutrition? The following videos from Science in Seconds and the TaoistFlyer offer quick summaries.