UPPERVILLE, Va., Nov. 24, 2005
Where's The Beef?
A Scientist Tries To Grow Real Burgers From Animal Cells In A Lab
-
Play CBS Video Video Test Tube Meat Debate There's a new kind of beef that could be in your future, but it doesn't come from a cow. Is test tube meat a good idea? Sharyl Attkisson looks at both sides of the argument.
-
Russian tissue engineer Vladimir Miranov talks to Sharyl Attkisson in his lab. (CBS)
-
Interactive Science On The Plate Explore the history of bioengineered food. Find out more about the contentious debate over its safety.
-
In The Spotlight True Or False Can chocolate really elevate your mood? Take this quiz. Dr. Mallika Marshall offers facts to debunk some medical myths.
-
Quiz Food Safety Quiz Are your kitchen habits endangering you and your loved ones?
CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson meets a scientist who says he can grow real burgers from just a few cells from a live animal.
Russian tissue engineer Vladimir Miranov is making the claim.
"It's actually eatable cells," Miranov says.
He's only been growing the cells for five days. But all it takes is a few more days in a bioreactor at 100 degrees.
"Wash all this stuff, place this in microwave and after five minutes you have hamburger," Miranov says.
Jason Matheny is a doctoral student who's published ideas for test-tube meat on large scale – tissue grown in thin sheets, then "exercised," stretched, and layered. Scientists could control every molecule.
"You have a cleaner, healthier product," Matheny says.
Doesn't it sound a little gross?
"I mean, we'd get the taste of meat and many of its nutritional qualities but without the risks of heart disease, without the risks of salmonella… and other food born illnesses," Matheny says.
We wanted to ask a real cattleman what he thinks about beef grown by scientists in a lab instead of farmers. So we came to Llangollen farms in Virginia.
John Wilkens is intrigued by his future competition – even though they're talking about prime rib without the rib.
"T-bone without the bone," Wilkens says.
But this beef man insists there's no reason to turn farming over to scientists.
"Beef as it exists today is a very safe product," Wilkens says. "To me, a rack of ribs sounds a whole lot tastier."
We can't know for sure. They haven't actually made whole burgers yet, and no taste-testing is allowed in the lab. The project needs serious funding before it can get to the butcher.
But Miranov says that as soon as he gets money, it will be the meat of the future.
So while test tube meat may not be the end of the road for animal farms anytime soon, it is something to chew on.
©MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
More From CBS Evening News
Author Thomas Friedman on Obama's Afghanistan plan and the war on terror.
