Popular Science: “The Cow Will Become Obsolete”

A recent feature in media outlet Popular Science details technologies currently in development to completely eradicate human reliance on cows. The publication explains how a lab-grown burger from New Harvest and a plant-based meatball company called Memphis Meats are at the forefront of eliminating the consumption of beef. Leather is predicted to be phased out by companies such as Modern Meadow, while milk is currently being replicated—with the help of 3D printing—by bioengineering company Muufri. Even lesser known cow-derived products like collagen and cartilage are being synthesized in labs and with better results. Furthermore, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, researchers are developing a synthetic version of cow insulin—commonly used by diabetics—that activates only when blood sugar surges and does not cause allergic reactions. While these companies rely on bovine cells to develop their products, many plan to transition to fully plant-based versions in the future to effectively eliminate the need to rely on cows all together.