To accompany “No animal died to make this steak”

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1.  Where does the meat come from that we find in stores and restaurants?

2.  What are some of the reasons many people have been looking to have people eat less meat?

During Reading:

1.  What was the new ribeye made from and what “ink” was used?

2.  For this story, what does incubated mean? And what advantages does this incubation offer for the final meat, according to Neta Lavon?

3.  What other cultured meats are under development?

4.  What are pluripotent stem cells? Why is Aleph Farms using them to make its new cultured steaks?

5.  Why does Kate Krueger argue that cultured meats will be very expensive for a long time?

6.  According to the story, how many cultured meats were available for sale in early 2021? How long does Neta Lavon think it will be before her company’s cultured ribeyes might make it into stores?

After Reading:

1.  Why do you suppose many companies are at work to create these new cultured meats? Put another way, what particular need might these products satisfy? Would you eat a steak or hamburger that you knew had been produced this way?

2.  Some researchers are looking to produce products that look like a burger but come from insect cells grown in a vat. Why do you think they’re taking that route? Would you eat a “burger” made from such an artificial meat?