Scientists create 'meaty' rice for eco-friendly protein
Korean scientists have invented a new hybrid food, consisting of beef muscle and fat cells grown inside grains of rice
What happened?
Korean scientists said Wednesday they've invented a new hybrid food, consisting of beef muscle and fat cells grown inside grains of rice. The experimental "meaty" rice was developed to be an affordable and eco-friendly source of protein.
Who said what?
Integrating animal cells into rice could eventually "ensure a sufficient food supply" for "underdeveloped countries, during war, and in space," said the researchers at South Korea's Yonsei University.
The commentary
The "microbeef," as the researchers call it, "seems to be an early success" nutritionally and maybe taste-wise, too, Ed Cara said at Gizmodo. Its "odor profile" indicates a "rich flavor" with "notes of beef and almond."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
This hybrid food research "holds promise for the development of healthier and more climate-friendly diets in future," said Neil Ward, an agri-food and climate specialist, in a response statement to the study. But "while data on cost and climate impact look very positive, a critical test is around public appetite for these sorts of lab-developed foods."
-
Critics’ choice: The year’s top 10 moviesFeature ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘It Was Just an Accident’ stand out
-
The small Caribbean island courting crypto billionsUnder the Radar Crypto mogul Olivier Janssens plans to create a libertarian utopia on Nevis
-
Political cartoons for December 21Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include Christmas movies, AI sermons, and more
-
Blue Origin launches Mars probes in NASA debutSpeed Read The New Glenn rocket is carrying small twin spacecraft toward Mars as part of NASA’s Escapade mission
-
Dinosaurs were thriving before asteroid, study findsSpeed Read The dinosaurs would not have gone extinct if not for the asteroid
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th testspeed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
A rat infestation is spelling trouble for the almond industryThe Explainer The infestation has affected at least 100,000 acres in California
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Coloradospeed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's studySpeed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-offSpeed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet underseaSpeed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
