Lab-grown mammoth meat becomes the center of a climate change awareness campaign
As the world seeks sustainable alternatives to traditional meat consumption, lab-grown meat has emerged as a potential solution for environmental and ethical concerns. Australian company Vow has taken this concept one step further by creating lab-grown meat from an extinct animal – the mammoth. The company used this unique meat to cook meatballs, intending to raise awareness about climate change and its impact on species survival.
Vow chose the mammoth specifically because these animals were victims of climate change. By producing lab-grown mammoth meat, the company aims to illustrate the potentially disastrous consequences of our current actions on the environment and to encourage the adoption of sustainable food sources.
Lab-grown meat is created by extracting muscle cells from an animal and cultivating them in a laboratory setting. In the case of the mammoth, scientists extracted the DNA sequence of a muscle protein from the extinct animal, filling in gaps with elephant DNA. The modified DNA was then introduced to muscle progenitor stem cells extracted from sheep embryos.
Vow’s ultimate goal is to produce lab-grown meat from exotic animals, both extinct and non-extinct, with potential applications in high-end cuisine. As the technology develops, lab-grown meat could revolutionize the food industry, offering a more sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional livestock farming.