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NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

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Re: NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

#31

Post by tomjen3 »

DanI-S wrote: post #26

If anyone is interested by the edible insects concept touched upon here, check out our company Tiny Farms ( http://www.tiny-farms.com ). We're one of a handful of US companies doing real work in this area. Alongside our research, tooling and outreach work, we've actually managed to feed Dave McClure a waxworm-filled Baklava: http://www.tiny-farms.com/2013/04/tiny-farms-in-zagat/

I suppose maybe one day we will see people eating insects as a regular part of their diet.

But personally insects on food makes me vomit, not salivate.

Re: NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

#32

Post by tomjen3 »

madaxe wrote: post #3

Sweet, but ending hunger is incompatible with profit, and this will therefore die a sad little death as it gets legislated into oblivion, if it gets anywhere near gaining traction (which it won't, you just know Monsanto and friends will run a massive PR campaign about how synthesised food is terrorism, GMO is freedom, etc.).

Ending hunger is quite likely to lead to a nice profit as dead people don't buy anything.

The only reason we haven't ended hunger yet is that the poor people are too poor and have too horrible governments to be able to produce things we value enough to buy from them.

Re: NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

#33

Post by [deleted] »

tomjen3 wrote: post #28
mistercow wrote: post #5

I feel like hunger is much more likely to be solved with innovative economic thinking than with innovative engineering. We should be able to grow enough food for everyone as it is. That's not really the issue. The issue is getting the economics worked out so that we do grow enough food, and so that we can distribute it to everyone who needs it without breaking all of the economies.

The problem is that there economics is pretty simple, so there isn't much that can be invented here: you want the people who are currently starving to produce more stuff that others want to buy so that they can buy food for themselves and their family. Economic innovations won't help with that, but engineering ones might. Or just remove the trade barriers with Africa and start buying from them like we do with the Chi…

[deleted]

Re: NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

#34

Post by [deleted] »

tomjen3 wrote: post #30
obviouslygreen wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Politics aside, there's an appalling amount of food waste in developed countries. It's certainly not as simple as "send all the not-pretty produce to Africa" or "ship all the no-longer-perfectly-fresh bread to North Korea," but there is a huge potential target for reducing what we throw away and getting it to people who need it. The major problem, of course, is interfering with people's lifestyles, if only in margina…

You just touched all of my buttons wrt food and economics here. First of all, just because food isn't used doesn't mean it is wasted. I don't like to go to the store all the time so I buy more food than I may end up using -- but I still consider it worth it. Second there is not an limited amount of food in the world and there is no reason we have to cut down on our use in order to feed hungry Africans -- we can, as G…

[deleted]

Re: NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

#35

Post by [deleted] »

tomjen3 wrote: post #31
DanI-S wrote: post #26

If anyone is interested by the edible insects concept touched upon here, check out our company Tiny Farms ( http://www.tiny-farms.com ). We're one of a handful of US companies doing real work in this area. Alongside our research, tooling and outreach work, we've actually managed to feed Dave McClure a waxworm-filled Baklava: http://www.tiny-farms.com/2013/04/tiny-farms-in-zagat/

I suppose maybe one day we will see people eating insects as a regular part of their diet. But personally insects on food makes me vomit, not salivate.

[deleted]

Re: NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

#36

Post by Shivetya »

obviouslygreen wrote: post #13
CapitalistCartr wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, this! People keep trying to solve a problem they don't understand, that doesn't really exist. We have enough food in the World to feed our population. Countries like North Korea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Congo have starvation problems not from a lack of food in this World but from monsters running their government that won't allow their people the freedom to live their lives. In spite of a growing population, farm lan…

Politics aside, there's an appalling amount of food waste in developed countries. It's certainly not as simple as "send all the not-pretty produce to Africa" or "ship all the no-longer-perfectly-fresh bread to North Korea," but there is a huge potential target for reducing what we throw away and getting it to people who need it. The major problem, of course, is interfering with people's lifestyles, if only in margina…

a great amount of that waste is time sensitive foods but there are those moments when I been surprised by the date on canned or similar food and wonder, how did I forget that?

I do not think a lifestyle change is required on the Western world's part, this all about politics. Even when disasters strike not all aid is accepted and it is either purely political or with religious overtones.

Re: NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

#37

Post by andrewflnr »

Someone has to ask: Is there any chance of turning feces into food with this thing? Obviously it can't supply all our needs, there's a reason we got rid of it. But for actually helping people with low resources eat, it might cut down on trips to that "corner grocery store".

Re: NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

#38

Post by angersock »

CapitalistCartr wrote: post #7
mistercow wrote: post #5

I feel like hunger is much more likely to be solved with innovative economic thinking than with innovative engineering. We should be able to grow enough food for everyone as it is. That's not really the issue. The issue is getting the economics worked out so that we do grow enough food, and so that we can distribute it to everyone who needs it without breaking all of the economies.

Yes, this! People keep trying to solve a problem they don't understand, that doesn't really exist. We have enough food in the World to feed our population. Countries like North Korea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Congo have starvation problems not from a lack of food in this World but from monsters running their government that won't allow their people the freedom to live their lives. In spite of a growing population, farm lan…

So, the obvious question presents itself:

What is to be done with the countries that through corruption, incompetence, or malice prevent food aid from reaching their citizens? What exactly is the developed man's burden, here?

This is a tricky point.

Re: NASA grants $125K to create a prototype of a universal food synthesizer

#39

Post by abdullahkhalids »

CapitalistCartr wrote: post #7
mistercow wrote: post #5

I feel like hunger is much more likely to be solved with innovative economic thinking than with innovative engineering. We should be able to grow enough food for everyone as it is. That's not really the issue. The issue is getting the economics worked out so that we do grow enough food, and so that we can distribute it to everyone who needs it without breaking all of the economies.

Yes, this! People keep trying to solve a problem they don't understand, that doesn't really exist. We have enough food in the World to feed our population. Countries like North Korea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Congo have starvation problems not from a lack of food in this World but from monsters running their government that won't allow their people the freedom to live their lives. In spite of a growing population, farm lan…

If the developed world did not screw over the developing world in international trade agreements and prices...
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