In Hollywood, actor, activist, and model magnet Leonardo DiCaprio has invested in cultured meat startups Mosa Meat and Aleph Farms. Mosa Meat, based in the Netherlands, holds the title for world’s first cell cultured burger, which it achieved in 2013. It has since been working to lower its cost and remove divisive ingredient fetal bovine […]
In the Netherlands, Geneus Biotech and scientists at Wageningen University & Research are working together to develop cell-based caviar. The project, dubbed Magiccaviar, is hoping to find an alternative source for the pricey delicacy pushing the Beluga sturgeon to the brink of extinction. “A closely related sturgeon species is used to develop the methods in […]
In the UK, researchers at the University of Manchester have found that a protein in human blood and an acid in human urine can bind to Mars dust to create a material strong enough to build infrastructure. Dubbed AstroCrete, the macabre material was first conceived when Aled Roberts and his team were working to make […]
In New York, Ginkgo Bioworks began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, September 17 under the ticker DNA. Debuting at around $15 billion, the SPAC deal raised an estimated $1.6 billion for the Boston-based synthetic biology company. The company reported $88 million in sales in the first half of 2021, tracking […]
In the US, Archer Daniels Midland and LG Chem have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly evaluate building a lactic acid and polylactic acid bioplastics facility. Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will work toward founding joint venture in early 2022 that would build, own and operate a US-based facility to […]
In Venice, visitors to the 17th International Architecture Exhibition have the opportunity to sample scents from flowers that were rendered extinct by human development. In an installation called Resurrecting the Sublime, artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, with the help of synthetic biology firm Ginkgo Bioworks and scent researcher Sissel Tolaas, showcase scents from three plants: Hibiscadelphus […]
In Nova Scotia, a startup developing fibers from collagen and spider silk has raised $700,000 in an oversubscribed follow-on funding round. 3D BioFibR produces naturally sourced, high-value biofibers for use in biomedical engineering, green textiles, defense, and aerospace applications. The company’s dry-spinning process is faster than current manufacturing processes and preserves the natural properties of […]
In Oslo, startup NoMy has closed a seed funding to help advance its mycelium technology for end markets such as plant-based meat alternatives and bioplastics. Founded in 2020 by tech entrepreneur Ingrid Dynna and microbiologist/organic restauranteur David Andrew Quis, NoMy’s process aims to create circular solutions in a B2B model. “In the face of products […]
In Finland, researchers at VTT Technical Research Centre are developing a process to grow coffee in a lab as a means to reduce the environmental impact of coffee plantations. The process involves cultivating coffee plant cells in media in a bioreactor, then drying and roasting the resulting biomass. Taste tests confirmed the brew tasted and […]
In Israel, cultured meat technology developer MeaTech Group says its Belgian subsidiary Peace of Meat has manufactured 700 grams of animal-free chicken fat in a single production run. The company is betting on fat to be a key enabler for hybrid meat products, providing the aromas, flavors, and textures of real meat to plant-based meat […]
