Genetically Modified Cows Produce ‘Human-Milk-Like Products’
April 3rd, 2011When I saw this story in the Telegraph, I thought that it had to be the tail end of some April Fool’s antics.
Nope. Apparently, this is actually happening. The article below is from March.
Via: Good:
Earlier this month, China held an exhibition to showcase major technical achievements during its 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010). Among the wonders on display were photos of a herd of 200 cows that have been genetically modified to produce “human” milk.
Precise details of the bioengineering employed to adjust the composition of the milk these 200 cows produce are not available, nor is it clear exactly how closely the GM cow milk will resemble its human analog. According to the announcement in the state-run news outlet, China Daily, Li Ning, director of the State Key Laboratories for AgroBiotechnology at China Agricultural University, confirmed that the genetically modified herd’s milk “contains the characteristics of human milk.”
Li added that the cow-human milk “tastes stronger than normal milk” and explained that:
In ancient China, only the emperor and the empress could drink human milk throughout their lives, which was believed to be the height of opulence. Why not make that kind of milk more available for ordinary people?
Interestingly, human milk has low protein density compared with cow’s milk, and many of its health benefits are to be found in so-called “non-nutritional factors” such as anti-microbials, anti-inflammatory substances, hormones, and digestive enzymes. Li is vague on the specifics, but promises that China’s genetically modified cows will allow scientists to mass-produce ingredients “that can help improve the immune systems and the central nervous systems of children.” “Within 10 years,” he added, “people will be able to pick up these human-milk-like products at the supermarket.”
