[extropy-chat] wretched journalists strike again

[Robert Bradbury]

Ah, would that we had more "real" scientists on the list and fewer
philosophers and people who have read entire libraries of SciFi... (semi-
:-;).

The process works by taking stem cells from a biopsy of a live animal (or a
> piece of flesh from a slaughtered animal) and putting them in a
> three-dimensional growth medium


Note that they do not say "satellite cells", "myoblasts" or "muscle stem
cells" which would be more appropriate if what one wants to do is produce
muscle tissue for consumption.  So there is some lack of accuracy but
perhaps not completely out of line since the general reading public knows
what "stem cells" are but probably don't know what "satellite cells" or
"myoblasts" are.  (This problem will not be solved until everyone has a
hardwired (implanted) brain-to-web link with the first two options on the
"lookup menu" for unfamiliar words being Wikipedia and Google.  I'd have
PubMed probably as #3 but your choices may vary.)

- a sort of scaffolding made of proteins.


And exactly *what* is this "scaffolding" produced from? (One doesn't exactly
have "tons" of collagen and elastin (which are themselves proteins) sitting
around in bottles (at least in outer space)).  [See [1] for a discussion of
the extracellular matrix.]

Bathed in a nutritional mix of glucose, amino acids and minerals, the stem
> cells multiply and differentiate into muscle cells, which eventually form
> muscle fibers. Those fibers are then harvested for a minced-meat product.


 And precisely *where* do the glucose and amino acids come from?

Why don't the people consume a "nutrition shake" made from the glucose and
amino acids mix in the first place?  Growing the "muscle" (converting a few
cells into many cells) is an energy consuming process so one is going to
have a net loss of resources using this approach.

How about a little *more* focus on the actual biochemistry and physics of
producing closed nutrient supply system and a little less focus on what the
results of producing an inherently inefficient food source (it takes energy
to break complex muscle proteins & DNA back down into small peptides and DNA
bases that humans can actually utilise) actually tastes like.  Zheesh...

I really really hope that NASA has some people working on this that
understand that (a) you are going to have to turn astronaut waste back into
basic food resources; and (b) that you are going to have to find an
efficient way to provide the net energy inputs from most likely solar, but
potentially nuclear sources.

R.


1. http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/6412/ConnTiss.htm
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20051213/c2c85c5f/attachment.html>