Dinner on Mars
The Technologies That Will Feed the Red Planet and Transform Agriculture on Earth
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“This culinary cosmic outing is as creative as it is informative.” — STARRED review, Publishers Weekly
From Impossible Burgers to lab-made sushi, two witty, plugged-in food scientists explore leading-edge AgTech for the answer to feeding a settlement on Mars — and nine billion Earthlings too
Feeding a Martian is one of the greatest challenges in the history of agriculture. Will a Red Planet menu involve cheese and ice cream made from vats of fermented yeast? Will medicine cabinets overflow with pharmaceuticals created from engineered barley grown using geothermal energy? Will the protein of choice feature a chicken breast grown in a lab? Weird, wonderful, and sometimes disgusting, figuring out “what’s for dinner on Mars” is far from trivial. If we can figure out how to sustain ourselves on Mars, we will know how to do it on Earth too. In Dinner on Mars, authors Fraser and Newman show how setting the table off-planet will supercharge efforts to produce food sustainably here at home.
For futurists, sci-fi geeks, tech nuts, business leaders, and anyone interested in the future of food, Dinner on Mars puts sustainability and adaptability on the menu in the face of our climate crisis.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Food scientists Newman (Lost Feast) and Fraser (Empires of Food) imagine what it would take to feed a colony on Mars in this fun survey. The same methods that will make feeding a Martian colony possible will also allow Earthlings to feed themselves in a more economic, ecological, and egalitarian way, they posit. Indeed, many technologies required on the Red Planet make sense on Earth—cyanobacteria will be "bred to turn the nitrogen and carbon dioxide in Mars's atmosphere into organic molecules" and can help with excess carbon dioxide on Earth, and hydroponic beds can be used to grow crops. Neither grains nor livestock will be an option, but the authors point out the potential of some exciting lab-grown Earth-style meat and dairy options at the cutting edge of food science. Their investigation culminates in an imagined evening out in "BaseTown," Mars's main metropolis, replete with outfits made of cultured silk and a menu of locally sourced lettuce, tuna, and red beans. The authors sagely advise that on both Mars and Earth, policies that prioritize biodiversity and human labor will have to back up the tech. This culinary cosmic outing is as creative as it is informative.
