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As science develops further and we continue to progress into new ideas of food cultivation, should we really be that surprised that future turkeys will likely be grown in test tubes?

Maybe not, but I am. According to Munchies, researchers from North Carolina State University have already begun looking into the process of cellular agriculture -- a way of using cell cultures to grow animal products.

Here’s how it’s working: Paul Mozdziak, professor of poultry science at NC State, took what’s called satellite cells from a small piece of turkey breast in a lab and caused them to multiply into muscle fibers. When placed inside a mixture of glucose and amino acids, they continued to multiply because they were tricked into believing they were still inside a bird.

Technology Review reports that this process is called in vitro meat cultivation, and is growing in popularity among animal rights activists and such because there’s a potential to have meat without killing animals. I’d be on board with this if it didn’t seem so … unnatural. After all, I do feel bad for the animals at times.

This process isn’t cheap currently … it’s actually costing in the $30,000s to get a whole turkey. But Mozdziak believes that someday it will be more commonplace, and therefore, cheaper.

“Years from now, when people are [in] the grocery store trying to decide if they want to buy traditional versus cultivated meat, I am 100 percent sure that cultured meat is going to be just as cheap, if not cheaper,” he says.

While the taste may not be as good, there will have to be some work done to make it worth it. Anyway, the process can be done to stimulate fat cells or muscle cells, and meat just isn’t as tasty without the fat. Once this is worked out, and after much planning and experimenting, maybe we’ll have meatless animal protein on the shelves? Interesting.

However, it could be less wasteful, in that the only parts being created are those that will be consumed. Let’s also remember that it will help keep so many animals from having to be farmed. That’s a pretty steep payoff.

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As science develops further and we continue to progress into new ideas of food cultivation, should we really be that surprised that future turkeys will likely be grown in test tubes?

Maybe not, but I am. According to Munchies, researchers from North Carolina State University have already begun looking into the process of cellular agriculture -- a way of using cell cultures to grow animal products.

Here’s how it’s working: Paul Mozdziak, professor of poultry science at NC State, took what’s called satellite cells from a small piece of turkey breast in a lab and caused them to multiply into muscle fibers. When placed inside a mixture of glucose and amino acids, they continued to multiply because they were tricked into believing they were still inside a bird.

Technology Review reports that this process is called in vitro meat cultivation, and is growing in popularity among animal rights activists and such because there’s a potential to have meat without killing animals. I’d be on board with this if it didn’t seem so … unnatural. After all, I do feel bad for the animals at times.

This process isn’t cheap currently … it’s actually costing in the $30,000s to get a whole turkey. But Mozdziak believes that someday it will be more commonplace, and therefore, cheaper.

“Years from now, when people are [in] the grocery store trying to decide if they want to buy traditional versus cultivated meat, I am 100 percent sure that cultured meat is going to be just as cheap, if not cheaper,” he says.

While the taste may not be as good, there will have to be some work done to make it worth it. Anyway, the process can be done to stimulate fat cells or muscle cells, and meat just isn’t as tasty without the fat. Once this is worked out, and after much planning and experimenting, maybe we’ll have meatless animal protein on the shelves? Interesting.

However, it could be less wasteful, in that the only parts being created are those that will be consumed. Let’s also remember that it will help keep so many animals from having to be farmed. That’s a pretty steep payoff.

In A Few Short Years We'll Be Eating Lab-Grown Turkeys

As science develops further and we continue to progress into new ideas of food cultivation, should we really be that surprised that future turkeys will likely be grown in test tubes?

Maybe not, but I am. According to Munchies, researchers from North Carolina State University have already begun looking into the process of cellular agriculture -- a way of using cell cultures to grow animal products.

Here’s how it’s working: Paul Mozdziak, professor of poultry science at NC State, took what’s called satellite cells from a small piece of turkey breast in a lab and caused them to multiply into muscle fibers. When placed inside a mixture of glucose and amino acids, they continued to multiply because they were tricked into believing they were still inside a bird.

Technology Review reports that this process is called in vitro meat cultivation, and is growing in popularity among animal rights activists and such because there’s a potential to have meat without killing animals. I’d be on board with this if it didn’t seem so … unnatural. After all, I do feel bad for the animals at times.

This process isn’t cheap currently … it’s actually costing in the $30,000s to get a whole turkey. But Mozdziak believes that someday it will be more commonplace, and therefore, cheaper.

“Years from now, when people are [in] the grocery store trying to decide if they want to buy traditional versus cultivated meat, I am 100 percent sure that cultured meat is going to be just as cheap, if not cheaper,” he says.

While the taste may not be as good, there will have to be some work done to make it worth it. Anyway, the process can be done to stimulate fat cells or muscle cells, and meat just isn’t as tasty without the fat. Once this is worked out, and after much planning and experimenting, maybe we’ll have meatless animal protein on the shelves? Interesting.

However, it could be less wasteful, in that the only parts being created are those that will be consumed. Let’s also remember that it will help keep so many animals from having to be farmed. That’s a pretty steep payoff.