It is hard to be surprised about much these days. All the technological and futuristic advances of the past few years mean that few things are shocking. The recent breakthrough of the stem cell burger is one of these things. Grown in a lab, this hamburger cost $333,000 and took five years of research. Scientist and Professor Mark Post had been working very hard for the past couple of years to make this interesting idea into reality, and this August, he finally succeeded.

Even though it is quite an achievement, many wonder why so much money and effort would go into making a hamburger of all things. Well, it is hard to believe, but a test tube burger has the potential to change the world. It is expected that meat consumption will rise by 73% by 2050, and more meat means more cattle. However, raising cattle is a huge burden on the environment. Already, raising cattle produces more carbon dioxide than transportation. Not to mention, cows are one of the largest sources of methane, having a higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide. It is safe to say that raising cattle uses up a lot of our resources and at the same time contributes to greenhouse gases.

What many people do not realize is that these may be big sacrifices to make just so that we can eat meat. The lab grown hamburger could revolutionize that. Just one stem cell sample could produce twenty thousand tons of beef. This would reduce the number of cows to a fraction of the number that we have now. In addition to helping the environment, stem cell hamburgers can minimize animal cruelty, and could also be customized for health! Those of you whose initial reaction to the stem cell hamburger was “eew!” might be rethinking that.

Now we get to the important part, the taste! All these scientific perks might be cool, but let’s face it, the most crucial component of a hamburger is its taste. Well, don’t worry, because according to the only three people who have ever tried this hamburger, it tastes relatively similar to a regular burger! Thank god! The only problem is a lack of fat, which means that it’s slightly less juicy than normal.

Unfortunately steak is harder to grow in a lab, but keep a look out for chicken and fish!

By: Mila Urosevic