As time is passing, the world is moving towards more artificial and manmade options from conventional organic ones. Recently, the idea of making objects and creating them from scratch is getting more prevalent and practical day by day. There have been instances of 3D printing and its likes earlier as well and more projects are on the way.
It has also been discussed always that the world could have been different if it were possible to just create anything that one wanted like simply bringing a drawing to life. This concept was earlier discussed in Star Trek as a replicator, and it is also called the Santa Claus Machine. Researchers and scientists today may have discovered something similar.
As humans, we are still excessively dependent on organic means of production for our sustenance needs. This includes plants, animals, dairy, and eggs. There is still work that needs to be done for creating these sources of food and energy in laboratories.
In 2018, a company based in Palestine brought forward the world’s first inorganically made steak. It was made in the laboratory. After working on their technology for quite a while, this year they claim to make anything that is desired from their 3D printing which can be used as a substitute for meat. They have managed to make a thick-cut rib-eye steak produced entirely in a lab. However, the price of the steak made in 2018 was US$345,000 but this time, they come with a much-reduced price. The company has the potential to make 1000 pounds of chicken in one day.
When it comes to dairy, a company that goes by the name of Perfect Day is leading the industry of lab-frown dairy. Another company, Imagindairy is working on a similar path as well. Their first goal was ice cream, and a lot of their products are already out for retail in the US.
Diamonds are another industry where the products are being grown in laboratories. In 2018, De Beers, a leading diamond company started a laboratory to create diamonds artificially. Although there was a previous debate on the efficacy of this diamond when compared to the natural one, the trend seems to be changing now.
Wood is also at its preliminary stages of being grown in the lab by some culture tissues. The research is led by a pHd student at MIT. In addition, blood is one of the trickier substances to grown in labs as well. Work is still being done. In 2017, two separate research teams gave the idea of changing human pluripotent stem cells into blood stem cells. This has made a basis for further research. Body organs are also under study to be replicated like the liver, brain, and heart. The UK created to research and displayed a system for the mechanism as well.
Lastly, cars can also be generated with this method. Mercedes Benz’s ambitious BIOME idea from 2010 has led the industry in the direction and maybe in the future, it will be applied as well.