. Starting with components from the natural world—DNA, more basic molecules, cells–scientists are already altering biology, performing a kind of alchemy that allows these materials to serve a new or better purpose. Cypher's future meal will not be a digital construct but a physical one, synthesized from animal cells.
The forces driving the synthesized meat movement are practical. Modern agricultural systems are helping destabilize Earth's climate and ecosystems, while extreme weather events add immense uncertainty to farming and ranching. Scientists at Oxford and the University of Amsterdam have estimated that cultured meat would require 7 to 45 percent less energy, occupy 99 percent less land, and produce 78 to 96 percent less greenhouse gas than conventional animals farmed for consumption.
But once we're able to synthesize meat, we'll face a novel regulatory challenge. Theoretically, we'll have the capability to culture meat from any animal, which means that some people will choose to culture and consume animals we'd never consider eating today because of their high level of intelligence, like dolphins, chimpanzees, and elephants.
We assume that consumers will pay for craftsmanship, and that may still be true in the future, with a twist: What if they value chief bioscientists and their work more than master brewers?
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