Live data from Hacker News

Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

theguardian.com

201–210 of 272 posts

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#201
post #3

Does it taste like despair? Seriously though, that's always my first thought when I read a story about something like this. It's like my brain can't help but cringe of the thought of eating something made this way, even if it's irrational.

> Does it taste like despair?

Synthetic meat doesn't, at least, taste like screams.

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#202
post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am vegan and have been for about a year and a half. Animal products are not necessary for a healthy diet. That goes for adults and infants. http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/20070523.html Crown Shakur did die because he parents didn't supply him with adequate nutrition, but there's no reason he couldn't have gotten what he needed on a vegan diet. Plenty of children are raised on a 100% vegan diet and thrive…

There's a reason why there are practically no vegan power athletes. I was vegan for nearly ten years and I regret it immensely as I now see how badly it set me back. That said, you're right, with a properly-designed diet you can be healthy and happy. I don't believe you can ever be athletically optimal, however (aside from perhaps pure cardio sports).

Mac Danzig seems to counter your argument that's it isn't possible.

http://www.ufc.com/fighter/Mac-Danzig http://www.mikemahler.com/online-library/articles/mma-traini...

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#203
> A commonly cited statistic is that cows produce more greenhouse gases than all the world’s transportation combined, or 18% of all greenhouse gases. ... [snip] ... A more accurate analysis of the data resulted in a much more respectable estimate: that cattle contribute less than 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

http://chriskresser.com/the-real-environmental-impact-of-red...

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where reality is defined as reality. Aversion to synthetic meat, as a concept, is irrational. There is no reason for it. If you disagree, explain your reason.

You make the claim that aversion to factory farming is rational, but you give no further explanation than to loudly exclaim that reality agrees with you, which is a singularly pointless thing to say.

Why should I have to state the obvious? Factory farms are terrible for the environment both in the short-term immediate vicinity, and in the long-term globally. They are massively increasing our exposure to antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. They expose workers to serious health risks. They treat their animals inhumanely. If you are not troubled by at least a subset of those things, you are either irrational, or your base values are so profoundly opposed to my own that I consider you an obstruction.

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#205
post #124
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who eats an entirely plant-based diet, it sounds like a terrible idea. If it tastes half as good as actual meat, then it will be much worse than even the cheapest, overprocessed soy protein 'burgers' in the frozen food section of the grocery store. Seriously.

Bull. Shit. My wife is a vegetarian. I've tried probably 8-10 different brands of vegie burgers and chicken nuggets. They don't taste even remotely like meat. Some do taste alright, I admit. Another problem is price. You would think soy products would be cheaper than meat. Nope. So freaking expensive.

I'm not saying they taste like meat. Be nice. There are plenty of delicious alternatives but unfortunately they're not at the grocery store, they're usually made by you in your kitchen. That's worth addressing.. but fake meat? no.

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are you assuming that meat consumption is necessary?

At the very least some animal product is necessary (e.g., dairy or eggs). See: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/opinion/21planck.html Vegetarians can go ahead and argue that vegans are too extreme while vegans fire back that vegetarians are just vegans who lack commitment.

> At the very least some animal product is necessary (e.g., dairy or eggs).

And you would be completely, utterly, absolutely wrong:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12826028

"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.

"Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life-cycle including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits"

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#207
post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are you assuming that meat consumption is necessary?

I keep a high level of protein my diet. I've tried veggie burgers and other substitutes and enjoyed them a lot, but I can't replace all my meals with them because they're just so damn high in sodium. Any suggestions?

Don't eat veggie burgers then. Eat beans, nuts, tofu, seitan, flax - all of them are low in sodium.

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beef is not very energy efficient anyways, around 10% conversion rate from pasture calories to animal tissue. Pork and chicken are much more efficient though. From the very narrow perspective of energy efficient, the problem I see is that we are ditching a true and tested method of doing things with (up to a point) renewable resources and trying to create a substitute most likely based on petrochemicals, just at the…

What makes you think that petrochemicals would be involved in growing synthetic meat? They could use all kinds of natural feedstocks (starches).

I am assuming those are cheaper/more efficient. After all, our grain production relies heavily on petrochemical inputs.

Historically speaking, one of the reasons[1] domestication of large herbivores for meat production makes sense is because those can be fed with agriculture byproducts not suitable for human consumption. In industrial terms, it is a sort of "rejects reprocessing" that partially recovers an investment that was already lost.

Nowadays, we feed our animals with human suitable food, which is possible due to the (cost) efficiency gains of the green revolution, which originally was mostly about petrochemicals.

[1] the other being that in nomad societies, they constitute a food store that can carry its own weight around.

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the very least some animal product is necessary (e.g., dairy or eggs). See: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/opinion/21planck.html Vegetarians can go ahead and argue that vegans are too extreme while vegans fire back that vegetarians are just vegans who lack commitment.

I don't think attacking vegetarian and vegans goes well to your credibility.

Perhaps. I just do it for fun.

Re: Sergey Brin invests in synthetic beef

#210

I like the idea of being able to be a carnivore without being a killer. However, there is a trap in this. Right now, there are cows and pigs wherever there are humans. Fast forward 200 years when we can grow our own meat in the lab. Who's going to keep around livestock? For what reason? Pigs and cows would exist in a wild state in a small fraction of their former "territory." If at all.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN