STEM CELL STEAK

Stem Cell Steak: Growing Your Own Meat



Stem Cell Steak: Growing Your Own Meat

Introduction

The stem cell is a extraordinary and unique kind of cell that can duplicate itself many times and can divide into a score of specific cell types, such as muscle cells - which can in turn be grown into strips that can be made into a hamburger, and eventually a steak. The stem cells are taken from the animal. The embryonic stem cell, the most potent of all stem cells has the greatest possibility of producing tonnes of meat, however scholars believes that trying to manipulate and control the embryonic stem cell is too hard. This paper in this connection will discuss different perspective of growing your own meat in laboratory using stem cell.

Discussion and Analysis

Humans have managed to cultivate embryonic stem cell development in humans, rats, and mice, but cows and pigs have proved extremely tricky. Instead many scholars used cells called myosatellites which are a muscle stem cell that is normally used to repair damaged muscle tissue. These can also be extracted without killing the animal and they are cells which can only develop into a muscle cell - in essence they are a “one-way” cell - which means it is easier to control its development (David, Patricia, Theodore, Anthony, Michael and Steven, 2011). In order for the cells to develop the muscle cells must be exercised regularly, with some researchers giving the cells tiny electric shocks to stimulate growth. Post instead looks to the muscle cells to exercise on their own (Guo, 2007). Pieces of velcro, which act as anchor points, are fitted in the petri-dish and they in-turn produce tension in the muscle cells. The cells naturally try to contract, but the velcro provides resistance which in turn stimulates the cell ...