Lab Meat and Photosynthetic Zone

Lab Meat

Futurists think that lab meat will soon be commercially available as an ethical and environmentally friendly alternative to meat produced from animal stocks. However, a research team from UC Davis has challenged the environmental friendliness of lab meat by arguing that the effects of making such meat from current technology are much worse for the environment than meat produced through agricultural means. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses the pros and cons of lab meat and offers a Christian perspective on this emerging biotechnology.

Photosynthetic Zone

Four astronomers have demonstrated the necessity of the photosynthetic habitable zone for any planet thought to be a candidate for advanced life. They explain why the range of distances from a host star for a planet to conceivably harbor photosynthetic life must be narrower than the range of distances where a planet could conceivably possess surface liquid water. The team concludes that the parameter space for signs of life is far narrower than the standard HZ (liquid water habitable zone). In this episode, Hugh explains that it takes a lot of design for photosynthetic life to exist on a planet.

Links and Resources:

• Environmental Impacts of Cultured Meat: A Cradle-to-Gate Life Cycle Assessment
• A Theology for Synthetic Biology, Part 1
• A Theology for Synthetic Biology, Part 2
• A New Definition of Exoplanet Habitability: Introducing the Photosynthetic Habitable Zone