Meat growing like cabbage. Sunlight is enough

Japanese scientists have developed hybrid plant-animal cells that draw energy from the sun. This is a real breakthrough in the field of bioengineering – meat capable of photosynthesis has been created.

Meat growing on trees? It’s not a dream, it’s science

The scientists’ research results were published in the journal “Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B”. As announced by Japanese scientists, they managed to create plant-animal tanks that, like plants, can obtain energy from sunlight. This achievement could revolutionize the production of meat and organs grown in the laboratory.

Animals and plants use different methods to obtain energy: plants use photosynthesis, and animals use mitochondria. Scientists decided to combine these two mechanisms, by isolating chloroplasts from plants and growing them with hamster cells. The goal was to create hybrid cells that could develop into solar-powered tissue.

After two days, it turned out that chlorophyll and chloroplasts were visible inside hamster cells, and using the fluorimetric amplitude modulation method, it was possible to confirm that chloroplasts actually carry out photosynthesis. What’s more, solar-powered tissue grew faster than regular hamster cells.

An innovative method of in vitro meat production can reduce costs and reduce the negative impact on the environment. It is also possible to produce meat efficiently without having to kill animals. The discovery of Japanese scientists also opens new perspectives in the field of bioengineering and regenerative medicine.