Fake rhino horn is better than natural
A San Francisco biotech startup has developed an artificial rhino horn
to reduce the level of poaching
marks, Geektimes
(The original source is not specified, but to make sure that this is not fiction, you can type in the search engine query "pembient rhino horn" – VM.)
A company from San Francisco has learned how to create rhinoceros horns on a 3D printer, which are almost indistinguishable from real horns. There is even genetic material in such a horn, which is similar to the set of genes in a real horn. The company plans to start selling such horns on the Chinese market, which, according to management, will reduce the level of poaching, hunting for real rhinos.
Pembient uses keratin and rhino DNA to produce a dry powder, which is then printed on a 3D printer of a special design. Such a horn can undergo a number of tests, including spectrographic analysis and DNA analysis. The result will confirm that the horn is real.
It is worth noting that in China and Vietnam there is a very high demand for rhinoceros horns, which are considered a panacea, a remedy for all diseases, plus an aphrodisiac. If there is a demand, there is also a supply. But this leads to the fact that rhinos in Africa are mercilessly destroyed. In South Africa, home to 80% of the global animal population, 1,215 rhinos were destroyed in 2014 alone.
Matthew Marcus, the head of Pembient, announced that the artificial horn will be sold at a price equal to 1/8 of the price of the original horn.
At the same time, the company also claims that the artificial rhinoceros horns it sells are not contaminated with anything (pesticides, radionuclides, etc.). "Rhino horn produced in the laboratory is as clean as the horn of a rhinoceros that lived 2000 years ago," the company's appeal says. Now there are plans, in addition to selling, in fact, horns, to launch beer with horn powder inside. In Asia, such drinks are very popular.
However, many environmental activists believe that the saturation of the Chinese market with artificial horns will not reduce the demand for the original horn. Moreover, activists fear an increase in demand, followed by an increase in the level of poaching.
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24.06.2015