VOA慢速英语2021--日本探索实验室生产和牛肉

Japanese Scientists Create Lab-grown Wagyu Beef

Japan's famous Wagyu beef can cost more than $400 for a kilogram. Now, however, it may become less costly¹ as scientists plan to introduce a lab-grown copy.

Japanese scientists say they have recreated Wagyu in a lab that may taste and look exactly like real meat. Wagyu is famous for its fat content, which spreads throughout the meat. And the fat gives the meat a special taste.

Wagyu beef comes from a kind of black cow raised mostly in the Kobe area of western Japan. Osaka University researchers used 3-D bioprinters and stem² cells from cows to recreate Wagyu's fat content in a single piece. Earlier attempts tried to recreate the meat by joining many pieces.

The research was led by Michiya Matsusaki.

You will not, however, be eating it anytime soon. Right now, it takes nearly four weeks to create a cubic centimeter of the meat. Matsusaki explained that as techniques and efficiency³ improve, the researchers may be close to making it a real food possibility.

"If we are able to quickly produce a lot of meat from a few cells, there's a chance we can better respond to food and protein shortage⁴ issues in the future," he told Reuters.

Both environmental concerns and other issues in the meat industry have pushed interest in lab-grown meats. There is also a strong interest in plant-based meat, such as those made by Impossible Foods Inc.

Matsusaki said that bioprinting and lab-growing techniques may have their uses in other areas, such as growing replacements⁵ for damaged human muscles.

It now costs about $90 to create a small piece of Wagyu. Matsusaki said that price will come down, and the meat may be on dinner tables within five years.

Words in This Story

bioprinter – n. the utilization⁶ of 3D printing–like techniques to combine cells, growth factors, and/or biomaterials to fabricate⁷ biomedical parts

efficiency – n. the ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy

respond – v. to do something as a reaction to something that has happened or been done

muscle – n. a body tissue that can contract and produce movement

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 stem   

n.茎，干，船首，词干，血统；vt.堵住，阻止，抽去梗；vi.起源于，发生

参考例句：

• Cut the stem cleanly,just beneath a leaf joint.把茎切整齐点，正好切在叶根下。
• The ship was in a blaze from stem to stern.整艘船从头到尾都着火了。

3 efficiency   

n.效率，效能，功效

参考例句：

• We were most impressed with your efficiency.你的效率给我们留下很深刻的印象。
• Our goal is to achieve the maximum of efficiency.我们的目标是取得最高的效率。

4 shortage   

n.缺少，缺乏，不足

参考例句：

• The city is suffering a desperate shortage of water.这个城市严重缺水。
• The heart of the problem is a shortage of funds.问题的关键是缺乏经费。

5 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

6 utilization   

n.利用，效用

参考例句：

• Computer has found an increasingly wide utilization in all fields.电子计算机已越来越广泛地在各个领域得到应用。
• Modern forms of agricultural utilization,have completely refuted this assumption.现代农业利用形式，完全驳倒了这种想象。

7 fabricate   

v.捏造，编造（谎言、借口等），建造，制造

参考例句：

• They plan to fabricate a cinema next year.他们计划明年建造一座电影院。
• It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that.人们编造这样的谎话让我感到愤怒。