4 ms·
My phd is in the physics of complex systems, so its not exactly this area but the arguments in the engrxiv paper linked in TFA seem robust to me. In my mind the
by gradschoolfail 5y ago
My phd is in the physics of complex systems, so its not exactly this area but the arguments in the engrxiv paper linked in TFA seem robust to me. In my mind there is an abstract question and a concrete question which illustrates the hardness of the problem.
The concrete question is, were there historical examples which showed the feasibility of this kind of endeavor? I dont think so. In fact there is a recent counterexample. Biofuels. They were big in the last hype cycle. George Church, the Tom Knight of Harvard, got involved in Joule, which is now dead. Biofuels was a much simpler pipedream than todays lab grown factory and yet… we are back to designing batteries, which are far simpler than algae.
So after this bubble bursts, I predict that we will be putting our money in making jellyfish tasty. it will be a step up from making yeast or algae tasty for sure.
Another prediction would be uh the second coming of 6502… of amino acid manufacturing.
The abstract question is, is it possible to design a large scale self replicating machine that runs more efficiently than evolution can give us? Again, no historical examples.. but I see the current deep learning “success” as a victory for evolution, not design…
My guess is, if we want to make lab grown meat work we might as well solve the easier problems of immortality and general AI, first.
- roca 5y agoChinese cuisine already includes jellyfish. A bit bland, but not bad, and surprisingly good texture. Make them more tasty and you might be onto something. No idea bout nutritional value though.
- gradschoolfail 5y agoHaha based on your tip I went for a wikipedia dive. “ The Japanese company Tango Jersey Dairy produces a vanilla and jellyfish ice cream using Nomura's jellyfish.[12][13] Consuming echizen kurage is potentially dangerous if the toxic part is not thoroughly cleaned and cooked.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomura%27s_jellyfish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomura%27s_jellyfish
- kuu 5y ago> is it possible to design a large scale self replicating machine that runs more efficiently than evolution can give us? Transistors miniaturization may fit under that category. We created something that every year doubled down the scale, augmented performance and reduced energy costs; and for that we needed those previous transistors. I don't think natural evolution has done any other process that fast. I may be wrong...
- 3np 5y agoWell, there's always the big bang.
- Workaccount2 5y agoBug meat, but it would be challenging to sell. Worms can be grown by the billions incredibly economically and efficiently, all while still being meat. I could see GM worms having a better flavor profile, and boom, "lab" meat.
- h2odragon 5y ago"Fly larvae farming" periodically makes the rounds as a "get rich quick" scheme. I saw someone selling setups in the 80s, and some old dude came up and told him how they did it in the 30s.