Sausages, grown for Mars

For seven years, researchers led by Morris Benzhaminsona, professor of applied biology from the College Nested in Long Island, New York, trying to make the meat in a laboratory setting. Experiments subsidizes NASA. The first victims of the experiment were ... goldfish. Scientists have desyatisantimetrovye strips of fresh muscle tissue just murdered fish, dropped them into the nutrient solution, prepared on the basis of bovine blood, and left for a week. Mass of tissue increased by 14%. Then Benzhaminson and his colleagues began work on the technology of cultivation in vitro of dark and light chicken meat. However, the fabric in two months began to decompose. Now scientists are looking for mechanical and electronic methods of stimulating the growth of blood here sosudov.A V. Mironov, director of the laboratory to create complex tissues at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, he went the other way. In his team believe that space should immediately prepare the meat in the form of sausage or meatballs. Instead of whole pieces of individual researchers grow cells on protein spheres located in the plant environment in the suspended state. Feedstock - myoblasts - the same cells, which made it possible to grow fish fillets. Under normal conditions, myoblasts, which are located on the edges of the muscle fiber, contribute to the healing process. Unfortunately, they can not exist independently, so grow them in large quantities is difficult. But Mironov seemingly found a way. He's going to mix myoblasts with microscopic beads of the protein collagen and keep them in a suspended state - like in zero gravity. Once myoblasts grow and turn into muscle cells, the balls can be collected and made from them, such as tasty sosisku.Po Mironov said, the easiest to work with seafood, as well as their growth can be stimulated in myoblasts. "But the chicken teriyaki is not too fantastic" - he said. Scientist's dream - to make the unit, which will not only growing, but cooking sosiski.Vprochem, researchers have not abandoned their attempts to grow in the laboratory and the classic meat. For example, the same Mironov suggested using the bioreactor with an extensive system of small tubes, which would serve as artificial capillaries that supply nutrients to the growing mass. Ideally, you should develop some kind of substance, repeating the texture of this meat. And for that myoblasts must constantly stretch and shrink. In other words, the future must not simply a steak feed, and regularly trained. By the way, Herman Golden Touch of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, suggested that the regime of physical exercises for immobile meat. A group of scientists under his leadership has developed Chitin beads, the size of which varies depending on the temperature. Myoblasts adhere to the beads that causes the cells to stretch and shrink. Adding fat improves the taste and texture. Mironov calculated: a prototype of a hamburger for space travel today is about 10 thousand dollars but it does not scare the scientist, because the first cars and TVs, too pricey ...