What do you think about cloning?

[RJDiogenes]

There's nothing wrong with cloning. The meat that comes from clones or offspring of clones is identical to meat grown the old-fashioned way, though; of course, there are many who fear it, out of superstition or anti-science prejudice.

And I'd say commercially viable pulsating mounds of meat are only decades away, if that. Teleportation and warp drive, however, are unlikely to ever exist.

 

[gturner]

There's nothing wrong with cloning. The meat that comes from clones or offspring of clones is identical to meat grown the old-fashioned way, though; of course, there are many who fear it, out of superstition or anti-science prejudice.

Oh come on. Didn't you even read Dune? Cloned cows are something only the twisted Tleilaxu would invent, and the Bene Geserit and the guilds would all condemn the practice in the harshest terms. You see, like people, cows can pass on genetic memories encoded in their DNA. This hasn't been a problem before because the genetic memories that cows inherit from their parents only includes eating and mooing.

But now science is creating the ultimate evil twist, taking genetic samples from slaughtered cows. As these cloned samples become a bigger component of a herd's DNA profile, all the cows will remember being brutally murdered, over and over, generation after generation. Then we'll have a world full of really pissed off cows, and that's not a world I'd be comfortable in.

 

[Captain Ice]

^ Your mother made delicious meatloaf, but I'll bet your father made steak, like a man, out of a black angus steer, while telling of the courage the cow's father showed back in the great stampede of '78 when he stared down three rattlesnakes and a black bear, saving his entire herd from a leadership vacuum when they were all caught dumbstruck, staring wide-eyed at each other, wondering what to do, mooing their fear and confusion. The brave steer then led his herd across the raging floodwaters of the Brazos river, saving two cowboys in the process, and is responsible for the greatness of the steak your father served you. It was right that you should honor him.

For your information, the best meatloaf recipe I've ever tasted is my father's. Which doesn't start with plain ground beef, but ground chuck and sausage. Where in hell did you get this idea that men can't make a decent meatloaf?

As to the original question, I think that cloning meat is a good thing. Keep the better qualities of the animal that is being cloned and genetically engineer out the negative qualities. could go a long way toward reducing the amount of hunger on this planet.

 

[MetalPants]

^ Your mother made delicious meatloaf, but I'll bet your father made steak, like a man, out of a black angus steer, while telling of the courage the cow's father showed back in the great stampede of '78 when he stared down three rattlesnakes and a black bear, saving his entire herd from a leadership vacuum when they were all caught dumbstruck, staring wide-eyed at each other, wondering what to do, mooing their fear and confusion. The brave steer then led his herd across the raging floodwaters of the Brazos river, saving two cowboys in the process, and is responsible for the greatness of the steak your father served you. It was right that you should honor him.

Do you know the difference between a bull and a steer?


I would have concerns about eatting cloned bovine flesh. Is it safe to eat? How much testing has been done to ensure it is safe, and on what type of time scale? Just because something might not show up tomorrow, doesn't mean it is perfectly safe. Also, if we were to introduce cloning on a large scale to the cattle population, what protections would there be to ensure the genetic viablility of the herds?

 

[scotpens]

. . . I'd say commercially viable pulsating mounds of meat are only decades away, if that.

Mmmmm . . . Pulsating mounds of meat . . . !

 

[STR]

I'm cool with it as long as I get my own Natalie Portman.

Only if she's naked and petrified.

This comment started out so well...then you lost me in the second half. A real 90* turn.

 

[gturner]

For your information, the best meatloaf recipe I've ever tasted is my father's. Which doesn't start with plain ground beef, but ground chuck and sausage. Where in hell did you get this idea that men can't make a decent meatloaf?

Well obviously a man can make a better anything in the kitchen than a woman, which is why all the top chefs are men. But that doesn't mean that most men are motivated to create things like a perfect meat loaf, which is why I assumed that the meatloaf was your mother's speciality.

 

[gturner]

Do you know the difference between a bull and a steer?

No, not really. I mean, I've never tried stuffing their balls into my mouth or anything. What is the difference?

 

[MetalPants]

Do you know the difference between a bull and a steer?

No, not really. I mean, I've never tried stuffing their balls into my mouth or anything. What is the difference?

One has balls the other doesn't. In your story you mentioned a steer (a castrated male bovine) being the father of cows and leading the herd, etc. Should have been a bull.

Yeah, I know it is a silly and pointless quibble, but coming from a farming background, it just stood out to me.

 

[scotpens]

I'm cool with it as long as I get my own Natalie Portman.

Only if she's naked and petrified.

This comment started out so well...then you lost me in the second half. A real 90* turn.

Yeah, that threw me for a loop as well. Did he mean “petrified” as in literally turned to stone, or as in scared shitless? I wouldn't find Natalie particularly appealing in either condition.

. . . Well obviously a man can make a better anything in the kitchen than a woman, which is why all the top chefs are men. But that doesn't mean that most men are motivated to create things like a perfect meat loaf, which is why I assumed that the meatloaf was your mother's speciality.

She also made a pretty mean veal parmigiana.

 

[gturner]

Do you know the difference between a bull and a steer?

No, not really. I mean, I've never tried stuffing their balls into my mouth or anything. What is the difference?

One has balls the other doesn't. In your story you mentioned a steer (a castrated male bovine) being the father of cows and leading the herd, etc. Should have been a bull.

Yeah, I know it is a silly and pointless quibble, but coming from a farming background, it just stood out to me.

No, you misunderstand. At the time of the heroic exploits that saved his herd, the steer was a bull. Later, after becoming famous and while battling fame induced alcholism, the bull lost its balls in a bar fight outside Guatanamo Bay, Cuba, fighting sixteen members of SEAL team one, eight of which were hospitalized and four of which were put on permanent medical disability. It was a badass bull. His offspring were equally brave and very tasty.

 

[gturner]

. . . Well obviously a man can make a better anything in the kitchen than a woman, which is why all the top chefs are men. But that doesn't mean that most men are motivated to create things like a perfect meat loaf, which is why I assumed that the meatloaf was your mother's speciality.

She also made a pretty mean veal parmigiana.

And that circles back to my point. Did she make a mean applesauce? Do you even remember her applesauce? How could you, since apples are now just clones? Even though all the cloned apples are objectively plump, full, and juicy, we don't bother differentiating them one from another. So one day soon a mother's veal parmigiana will be indistinguishable from any other mother's veal parmigiana, totally ruining the point of the whole exercise and making the preparation of such a fabulous meal no more noteworthy than popping the top on a can of Campbell's condensed chicken-noodle soup.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

pulsating masses of cow

Now there's a horror film for you.

Well i just spewed my morning cawfee!!!!!!

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Only if she's naked and petrified.

This comment started out so well...then you lost me in the second half. A real 90* turn.

Yeah, that threw me for a loop as well. Did he mean “petrified” as in literally turned to stone, or as in scared shitless? I wouldn't find Natalie particularly appealing in either condition.

I can see I'm not dealing with Slashdot readers here. It was a joke/meme, everyone can relax.

 

[farmkid]

I would have concerns about eatting cloned bovine flesh. Is it safe to eat? How much testing has been done to ensure it is safe, and on what type of time scale? Just because something might not show up tomorrow, doesn't mean it is perfectly safe. Also, if we were to introduce cloning on a large scale to the cattle population, what protections would there be to ensure the genetic viablility of the herds?

Well, the FDA approved the sale of meat and milk from cloned cows for food about two years ago. Apparently they think it's safe. As a scientist who works in a lab where cows are cloned, I can't think of any way it could be less safe than the meat or milk from regular cows. The only difference between cloned and normally-bred animals would be due to differences during embryonic development, and that would effect only the size or shape of the muscle tissue, not its chemical composition.

 

[scotpens]

. . . I can see I'm not dealing with Slashdot readers here. It was a joke/meme, everyone can relax.

Well, you learn something every day.

Naked and Petrified

 

[RevDMV]

Well it sounds like more of the same old thing...

 

[Tan Ru]

I can imagine eating a delicious sirloin in the near-future and saying, "Mmmm, this is a really good steak; wait a minute........haven't I already eaten this piece before??

 

[M'Sharak]

Well it sounds like more of the same old thing...

 

[Wynterhawk]

I can imagine eating a delicious sirloin in the near-future and saying, "Mmmm, this is a really good steak; wait a minute........haven't I already eaten this piece before??

ba dum dum *cymbal crash*