Can science tell us anything about the wisdom of ordering Burger King's newly introduced Impossible Whopper burger, invented in Silicon Valley and made from vegetable matter and a lab-produced protein?
Nutrition has recently changed course, reversing the late 20th century anti-fat dogma, and acknowledging that some kinds of fat found in animals can be good for you. If anything, the beef is the least unhealthy item in a fast food meal — compared with the bun, the pile of fries and the soda.
And yet, there's evidence from the earth sciences that beef production increases water pollution and global warming. And now there's research that backs a major moral argument for going vegetarian or vegan: Some of the animals we consider livestock are sentient beings with complex mental, social and emotional lives.