When Nathan Myhrvold talked about recreating meat from long-extinct species at Smart Kitchen Summit, he went back as far as the dinosaur period. While Vow hasn’t quite done that (yet), they have created a meatball using protein derived from the gene sequence of the woolly mammoth myoglobin, the protein which gives meat its color and flavor.
The achievement was announced today via a blog post by the Australian company’s founder, George Peppou, detailing how Vow created the mammoth meatball. According to the company, the project involved generating over 20 billion cells on a surface area of more than 100 square meters, a footprint the company describes as akin to a local café.
The company, in partnership with Professor Ernst Wolvetang, at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering at the University of Queensland, used a publicly available database to find the gene sequence for mammoth myoglobin, filling in any gaps with the myoglobin sequence from the African elephant, the woolly mammoth’s closest living relative. From there, Vow and Wolvetang’s team inserted the mammoth myoglobin gene into sheep cells, which were then cultivated to create the mammoth meatball.
Recreating a close facsimile of meat from a long-extinct species is no doubt an impressive feat, something that, in a way, could convince some skeptics of the value of cultivated meat. But, on the other hand, making meat available from creatures that haven’t roamed the earth for a million years might also creep some others out.
Either way, Vow certainly has achieved its goal with the project, which, according to them, was to “serve as a starting point” for conversation.
Woolly mammoth image from Quagga Wildlife art used under creative commons license.
