Eighty million years ago, the formidable 40-foot-long Tyrannosaurus Rex ruled the earth. Now, it may soon inspire a new kind of wallet.
A team of British researchers and bioengineers is working on high-end clutches and totes made from T. rex skin, cultivated from the fossilized remains of ancient carnivorous creatures.
Their goal is to create sustainable leather by extracting collagen from this colossal dinosaur, known to have roamed North America and Asia about 68 million years ago. If they succeed, it would mark the first instance of leather derived from an extinct species.
The project’s developers assert that their lab-grown materials will be entirely biodegradable and structurally identical to conventional leather. Choi Conon, a professor of tissue engineering at Newcastle University, commented on the initiative.
Conon is also associated with a Biotechnology Company. Lab-grown leather is in collaboration with the Dutch creative agency VML and the genomic engineering firm The Organoid Company.
“This opens the door to designing leather from prehistoric origins,” stated Connon, a key leader in the project.
While Connon and his team are targeting the fashion sector, market data providers Fortune Business Insights predicts that the global leather goods market, valued at $500 billion, could reach $85.5 billion by 2032.
However, experts caution that immediate results may not be forthcoming. The commercialization of lab-grown T. rex leather could be financially prohibitive.
According to Tom Ellis, a professor of synthetic genomic engineering at Imperial College in London, the “gimmick” is still “very early.” He noted, “Our understanding of dinosaur evolution may not be sufficient to design collagen genes specifically from T. rex.”
Ellis emphasized that producing authentic T. rex leather is still a long way off, suggesting that any collagen derived from the project would likely resemble that of cows and chickens.
This means the end product may resemble other alternative leathers. “We’ll offer something unique enough to justify a significantly higher price,” he added.
In theory, scientists can extract collagen gene sequences from various animals, as collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals. Companies like Gelter and modern pastures are already crafting leather-like materials from genetically engineered collagen, producing small batches of premium products.
If achieved, sustainably crafted animal leather could have notable environmental advantages. Currently, most leather is a byproduct of the cattle industry, contributing to deforestation in regions like the Amazon. Additionally, many synthetic and vegan leathers are made from fossil-fuel-derived plastics that are not biologically sustainable. According to the World Wide Fund.
As scientists ponder the potential for dinosaur wallets, fashion enthusiasts should take a moment to consider whether they should indulge in such products.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
