Scientists Create New Kind of Fish – by Accident
Scientists in Hungary have created a new type of fish by accident. The new fish was created in a lab, and is a mix of the American paddlefish and the Russian sturgeon.
The American paddlefish and the Russian sturgeon live on different sides of the world, and are two very different fish. Both are often called “living fossils” because they’ve been around for millions of years, and have changed very little over that time.
(Source: Harka, Akos [CC BY], Sturgeon, Emőke Dénes [CC BY-SA], Paddlefish, via Wikimedia Commons.)
Both kinds of fish are also in danger of dying out, so scientists are looking at other ways to keep their numbers up. One thing scientists are testing is a new way of getting fish eggs to develop in the lab.
Scientists thought the two kinds of fish were too different to be able to produce any babies. So they were surprised when combining sperm from the paddlefish and eggs from the sturgeon resulted in a brand new kind of fish. People have begun calling the new fish a “sturddlefish”.
The experiment resulted in around 100 living sturddlefish. All are meat-eaters, like their mother, the sturgeon, and some have the long snout and fins of their father, the paddlefish.
(Source: Attila Mozsar/Genes MDPI.)
The scientists say they won’t be making any more sturddlefish, and sturddlefish are unlikely to be able to have any babies themselves.
Still, the news has come as a big shock for scientists who study fish. Scientist Solomon David said, “I think it’s pretty cool that these living fossils can still surprise us.”
KFC to Test 3D-Printed Chicken Nuggets
KFC is working with a Russian laboratory called 3D Bioprinting Solutions to create chicken nuggets using a 3D “bioprinter”. The nuggets will be tested this coming fall, and if they’re successful, they’ll be the first lab-grown meat to be sold by a big fast-food chain.
(Source: KFC.)
3D bioprinting is a new way of growing meat in a lab without animals, using animal cells. Cells – sometimes called the “building block” of life – are so tiny that they can’t be seen without a microscope. 3D bioprinting uses cells from an animal to create meat that has never been part of an animal.
KFC’s bioprinted chicken nuggets will be started from chicken cells, but will be grown with material from plants. The goal is to produce meat in a way that is better for the environment.
(Source: Андрей Ильин [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
Lab-grown meat will use less land, water, and energy. The process also avoids some of the dangerous medicines and chemicals that are used in raising live animals and keeping meat fresh. As a result, the lab-made nuggets may actually be healthier.
The goal is for the lab-made chicken nuggets to look and taste just like real ones. KFC is calling the nuggets the “meat of the future,” and they’re hopeful that this will encourage other companies to create lab-grown meats too.