Ouroboros Steak (grown from Human Cells) - Is it really cannibalism?

Ouroboros Steak is a new technology where isolated human cells are kept through certain culture medium to grow them. That's enable users to culture their own cells. A group of American scientists and designers have developed this concept for a grow-your-own meat kit using human cells and blood. Ouroboros Steak are small pieces of meat-protein grown from human cells with an elegant dinner setting. This is a great thought where by studying your own cells, your own food will be satisfied. As result, no other animals will be harmed. People think that eating oneself is cannibalism but eating Ouroboros Steak is not technically cannibalism.

What are problems we are facing with growing demand of animal meats?

If we continue at the rate at which we are killing animals, the day will come when these animals will become extinct on earth. The variety of life on Earth is called biodiversity. As a result, the earth's biodiversity will be lost. Biodiversity is crucial for enabling us to live and stay healthy. If we reduce the amount of biodiversity there, leading many species to extinction, we cannot expect that nature will be able to provide these things for us. The steak claims to reduce the need for other animal meat products. As a result, the animals we eat can be saved.

How the idea of the Ouroboros Steak came to the public?

The Ouroboros Steak was first shown at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in exhibition, created using human cell culture. To increase people's curiosity, the scientists and designers didn't taste this meat. The exhibition was later exhibited at the London Museum also. The goal of placing steaks raised from human cells at the Design Museum in London was to criticize the growing use of living cells from animals in the meat industry. This sparked a brilliant debate about the harms of biotics and artistic criticism.

How does the concept actually work?

The ouroboros steak is a DIY meal kit designed by Andrew Pelling, Orkan Telhan and Grace knight. As part of the DIY kit, the team envisions users collecting cells from the inside of their own cheek using a cotton swab and depositing them into pre-grown scaffolds made from mushroom mycelium. These are then stored in a warm environment for around three months, while being fed with serum from old donated blood until fully grown.

Why the name Ouroboros?

According to Britannica, Ouroboros, emblematic serpent of ancient Egypt and Greece represented with its tail in its mouth, continually devouring itself and being reborn from itself. A gnostic and alchemical symbol, Ouroboros expresses the unity of all things, material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form in an eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation. Here Ouroboros Steak (which, in a dark twist), named after the ancient symbol of the snake eating its own tail, reducing the need for other animals by drawing in human blood and cells in the same way.

Feedback from prominent individuals and society

• • According to Orkan Telhan, associate professor of fine arts at Penn’s Weitzman School of Design, “our design is scientifically and economically feasible but also ironic in many ways. We are not actually promoting ‘eating ourselves’ as realistic solution that will fix humans protein needs.
• • "As the lab-grown meat industry is developing rapidly, it is important to develop designs that expose some of its underlying constraints in order to see beyond the hype."
• • Considering how climate change may affect food intake in the future, this is a great thought.
• • Thinking of eating steak made from human cells is repulsive,” said another Fox commenter.
• Lastly, we rather ask a question: what would be the sacrifices we need to make to be able to keep consuming meat at the pace that we are? In the future, who will be able to afford animal meat and who may have no other option than culturing meat from themselves?

The Design Museum - Ouroboros Steak

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  Ouroboros Steak (grown from Human Cells)

1. Ouroboros Steak Photo: [1]

References

The Design Museum - https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/beazley-designs-of-the-year/product/ouroboros-steak Grace Knight - http://www.gracemknight.com/ouro-steak

This article was written by Souvik Mondal - https://theblogsbazaar.blogspot.com/2021/03/ouroboros-steak-grown-from-human-cells.html

Ouroboros steak - grown from Human Cells

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