China’s desire for endless youth is wiping out donkeys – can scientists help?

AI Summary

Scientists in Brazil are developing lab-grown donkey collagen to meet the growing Chinese demand for ejiao, a traditional medicine made from donkey skins. This approach aims to conserve donkeys globally and provide a purer, contamination-free product.

Scientists in Brazil are working on a lab-grown donkey collagen that might save the animals from being wiped out worldwide. Their goal is to meet the Chinese middle class’ insatiable demand for ejiao – a traditional Chinese medicine with purported anti-ageing benefits that is derived from donkey skins – while also offering a purer product that poses less risk of contamination. Carla Molento, a professor of animal welfare at the Federal University of Parana and head of its Cellular Animal Science...