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CRISPR fungus: Protein-packed, sustainable, and tastes like meat

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171 points rguiscard | 1 comments | 12 Dec 25 00:59 UTC | HN request time: 0.2s | source
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chasil ◴[12 Dec 25 04:03 UTC] No.46240761[source]▶
I had vaguely remembered that chitin was equivalent to cellulose in our inability to digest. The article addresses it:

"The first modification, eliminating a gene for chitin synthase, resulted in thinner fungal cell walls."

This also has an enormous potential benefit of reducing avian flu and other zoonotic bird diseases.

replies(2): >>46241265 #>>46241653 #
boxed ◴[12 Dec 25 05:54 UTC] No.46241265[source]▶
> This also has an enormous potential benefit of reducing avian flu and other zoonotic bird diseases.

How?

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curtisf ◴[12 Dec 25 06:03 UTC] No.46241306[source]▶
By replacing (some) farmed meat with farmed fungi protein.

Although it's theoretically possible for a disease to infect both fungus and animals, because the biology is so different, the risk is greatly, greatly reduced.

In addition, it may be possible to reduce the use of treatments such as antibiotics which, in their currently mass application to farmed animals, could directly lead to the development of antibiotic resistant in diseases which affect humans and animals.

replies(1): >>46242470 #
1. brnt ◴[12 Dec 25 09:42 UTC] No.46242470[source]▶
Plus, chucking the contents of a few biotanks in case of infection is a hell of a lot better than having to kill and waste millions of birds.

I mean, industrial slaughter isn't a pretty process, even in better plants, which most aren't, but where they come to wipe out the barn, they're not putting animal welfare first.