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Gastropod

Yes, You Really Can Make Food From Thin Air—And We Tried It

11/4/202548 min

Every second of every day, plants on earth do something miraculous: they take the carbon dioxide from air and turn it into food. With very few exceptions, everything we eat starts out that way. But what if we wanted to cut out the middlemen, re-wild all those fields full of wheat and corn, and manufacture dinner directly from the atmosphere ourselves? Scientists began dreaming of turning air into food back into the 1800s, but it's only recently that dream has become a reality—with results that, depending on where you live, you can already taste for yourself. In this ep...

Clips

We Made Yogurt From Air
A Yogurt Factory On Trucks
Meet Sofi, The Pacifist Microbe
Not All Carbon Comes From Air
Right-Handed Sugar From CO2
Turning Wax Into Edible Fat
Food From Air, Real Impact
The Finnish Feelings Moment
Targeting Cocoa Butter, Then Palm
This Isn’t Easy At All

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Nicola Twilley· Host0:00

    [upbeat music] Here we go. Here's my first food from the air ever.

  2. Cynthia Graber· Host0:05

    [laughs] I can't even... It feels so science fiction. I mean, the fact that it actually was created literally from air- I know ... I can't even imagine. So I'm gonna get out a knife here.

  3. Nicola Twilley· Host0:15

    I am pretty excited. So I need a knife and a plate, and I have some bread.

  4. Cynthia Graber· Host0:22

    Yes, you heard that right. Nikki and I were about to taste food that was literally created out of thin air.

  5. Nicola Twilley· Host0:30

    And it wasn't imaginary, it was real. Real, spreadable, meltable, edible butter made from air.

  6. Cynthia Graber· Host0:38

    Right now, you're all probably wondering, "What in the world are you talking about?" And we are going to answer that question this episode of Gastropod. You are indeed listening to Gastropod. We're not science fiction. We're the podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history. I'm Cynthia Graber.

  7. Nicola Twilley· Host0:53

    And I am Nicola Twilley, and this episode, can we really bypass plants and animals and just get all our nourishment from the same stuff we breathe? And why on earth would we want to?

  8. Cynthia Graber· Host1:05

    This episode is supported in part by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology, and Economics. Gastropod is part of the Vox Media podcast network in partnership with Eater.

  9. Speaker 21:14

    [upbeat music] It's time to refresh your yard during Spring Backyard Days at The Home Depot. Get low prices guaranteed on propane grills, starting at $179, like the Nexgrill 3 Burner Gas Grill. Or get

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