Happy Thursday! Today’s edition is 689 words, a 2.5 min read.

First time reader? Sign up here!

Today’s Big Story

Lab-Grown Chicken Gets USDA Approval

U.S. regulators approved the sale of lab-grown chicken in restaurants on Wednesday.

Details: The USDA said the products from Upside Foods and Good Meet are safe to eat and now await federal inspection required to sell meat and poultry in the U.S.

Why it matters: The move launches a new era of meat production aimed at eliminating harm to animals and reducing the environmental impacts of grazing, feed production, and animal waste.

What is lab-grown chicken? The meat is grown in steel tanks using cells from living animals, a fertilized egg, or a special bank of stored cells.

• The cells are combined with a mixture of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, sugars, salt, and other elements cells need to grow.

• The cells proliferate quickly, growing together to form large sheets that are ultimately shaped into cutlets, nuggets, or sausages.

• Company officials point out that the product is actual meat, not substitutes like the Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat items, which are made using plant-based proteins and other ingredients.

Big picture: Upside foods said they can only produce 50,000 pounds of cultivated meat product a year but plan to expand to 400,000 pounds per year. By comparison, the U.S. demand for chicken is 50 billion pounds signaling that the upstart industry has a long way to go before it becomes a viable alternative to traditional poultry production.

Where can you try it? It could be 7-10 years before lab-grown chicken is available in grocery stores. For now, your best bet to try the Frankenmeat is at one of the restaurants that has partnered with the lab-grown meat companies, Bar Crenn in San Francisco or one of Jose Andres’ Washington D.C. eateries.

Quick Bites

Business & Economy

U.S. stock markets closed lower for the third day in a row on Wednesday (S&P -0.52%, Nasdaq -1.21%, Dow -0.30%).

Senator Bernie Sanders launches an investigation into Amazon’s warehouse safety practices.

Eli Lilly signed a deal to acquire Dice Therapeutics for $2.4bn in a bid to bulk up its portfolio for immune-related diseases.

World

A gas explosion in Paris injured 29 people on Wednesday. Four people are in critical condition and authorities are searching for the cause of the blast.

Thousands take to the streets in Colombia to protest President Pietro’s proposed health and pension system reforms.

The European Union proposes a $55bn support package for Ukraine over the next four years.

US News, Politics, & Government

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accepted a resort trip from two GOP donors to Alaska in 2008 without including it on his yearly financial disclosure. The gift is significant because one of the donors had multiple interests before the court when the trip was taken.

Search and rescue teams continue to hunt for the missing Titanic tourist sub and try to triangulate routine banging noises they believe are coming from the vessel. The oxygen supply will run out sometime this morning.

A Capitol rioter who shocked a police officer with a stun gun was sentenced to 12 ½ years in prison.

Sports & Entertainment

Geraldo Rivera says he will quit Fox News “The Five.” Rivera was one of the rotating liberal voices on the show and his last scheduled appearance is next week.

USA announces its 2023 Women’s World Cup roster led by Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe.

Former Steelers linebacker and Super Bowl XL champion Clark Haggans died at 46 per a team spokesperson. The cause of death wasn’t disclosed.

Science, Health, & Tech

Wimbledon to use AI-powered commentary and captions during this year’s tournament

European probe BepiColombo captured photos of Mercury’s surface during its third flyby on Monday.

Scientists discover how Huntington’s disease spreads in the brain.

Extras

A California restaurant must pay employees $140,000 after hiring a fake priest to extract confessions of workers’ “sins.”

China is serving up stir-fried rocks.

Michael Jordan’s 1997 “Flu Game” sneakers sell for $1.3m.

Watch: A Russian special forces operation hilariously fails.