Life Sustaining Life

[Mickmeister]

I have often thought about the process of survival, specifically food consumption. In almost all, if not all, consumed foods, it is a life form that we are eating, either it being plant or animal based. I know that we are consuming proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and such when eating other life forms, but can these "life sustaining" substances contained in those products not be synthetically produced with today's technology? I have read about research being done on producing synthetic meats, but in the end, they were using plant based life to produce the meat. Can they not start from the molecular level and build up from that point to produce the food products without using a life form?

 

[c7ityi_]

Molecules are also alive. If they weren't, they couldn't build up living things.

Plants don't really have feelings (the kind which we have) so it's ok to eat them.

 

[Idle Mind]

they were using plant based life to produce the meat. Can they not start from the molecular level and build up from that point to produce the food products without using a life form?

It's possible, yes, but it would be far too costly and far too time consuming to be worth consideration. And, all your food would essentially be coming from some pretty noxious chemicals, and may not have the same appeal.