Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Food

Open Wide For Test Tube Hamburgers Made In A Lab!


By

John Del Signore

Published Feb 20, 2012

Modified Feb 20, 2012


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


By

John Del Signore

Published Feb 20, 2012

Modified Feb 20, 2012


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

The "growing global demand" for meat is no longer anything to worry your carnivorous little head over, for, as always, science has come to the rescue. After the chosen 1% have settled into their underground global warming survival cities over in District 13, they're gonna eat like kings on lab-grown burgers that are currently in development in the Netherlands. Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University has announced that his team has grown small strips of muscle tissue from a cow's stem cells using a serum taken from a calf.

"In October we are going to provide a proof of concept showing out of stem cells we can make a product that looks, feels and hopefully tastes like meat," says Dr. Post, who explains that although the process could be done without slaughtering any cows, he thinks it's still best to kill some of them. "Eventually my vision is that you have a limited herd of donor animals in the world that you keep in stock and that you get your cells form there." Each "donor animal" would be able to produce "about a million times more meat through the lab-based technique than through the traditional method of butchery."

And this is only the beginning! The Telegraph reports that the research is being financed by an "anonymous and extremely wealthy benefactor" who is supposedly a household name with a reputation for "turning everything into gold." The test tube burger prototype costs 220,000 pounds, but for an extra 100K you can order it with edible test tube gold flakes.

Tagged

brave new world

burgers

lab burger

test tube burger


John Del Signore

Twitter

Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE food

Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.

The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Published Oct 19, 2026


North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.

Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.

By

Robert Sietsema

Food

North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.

Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.

By

Robert Sietsema


10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City

By

Robert Sietsema

Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.

By

Sonia Rao

5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's

By

Hannah Frishberg


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .