Latest news with #Batavia
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Bill Gates-backed butter made from CARBON is slammed for being 'disgusting' - as even billionaire admits it's 'strange'
A synthetic butter made entirely from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and backed by Bill Gates-backed, has been slammed online as 'disgusting.' The bizarre spread is made by Savor, a company based in Batavia, Illinois, and is backed by the Microsoft founder. Their products are described on their website as: 'Delightfully rich foods without animals, farmland, fertilizers, hormones, or antibiotics. These are real fats, not a substitute.' But the rollout plan has received mixed reviews with many users slamming the product online as 'disgusting.' Celebrity chef Andrew Gruel wrote on X: 'Disgusting. They are combining hydrogen, carbon and oxygen to create fat molecules then manipulate that to taste like butter. Why do this when we already have butter? The scientists say their recipe is made up of fat, water, a touch of lecithin as an emulsifier, and natural flavor and color. The finished butter allegedly contains no palm oil and is already being tested in restaurants and bakeries to hit the market in 2025. Retail sales could begin around 2027. Instead of farmland, fertilizers and cows, Savor uses an industrial process to turn carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water into fat molecules identical to those in dairy butter. The result, according to the company, looks, smells and tastes just like the real thing but is made with zero agriculture and zero emissions. 'So you're using this gas right now to cook your food and we're proposing that we would like to first make your food with-with that gas,' Kathleen Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Savor told CBS News. 'This is really about how we feed our species and heal our planet at the same time,' she added. While Gates has admitted the concept 'may seem strange at first,' he insists its potential to slash greenhouse gas emissions is 'immense.' 'The idea of switching to lab-made fats and oils may seem strange at first. But their potential to significantly reduce our carbon footprint is immense,' he wrote on his blog. Another critic accused Savor of using sustainability as a cover for centralizing food production. 'They're not trying to solve a food shortage. They're trying to engineer one… Once they own the source code for your food, they can alter it, gate it, and revoke access at will… The goal isn't to make butter without cows. The goal is to make humans without sovereignty.' Others emphasized health concerns and warned synthetic butter could 'cause heart attacks and obesity at a minimum.' Still some defended the concept, saying it could help feed developing countries if it's cheap to produce. 'IF it's cheaper to produce, then it's great for developing countries, e.g. in Africa,' one user added. But the same person added that 'No one will force me to eat this butter, because the molecules can be cloned, but the authentic taste certainly cannot. Imagine putting this on your $50 steak.'
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Butter made from carbon tastes like the real thing, gets backing from Bill Gates
A company in Batavia, Illinois is making butter in a way you've never seen before. No animals, no plants, no oils; this butter is made from carbon. The sustainability-focused approach has the blessing and backing of Bill Gates. It looks, smells and tastes like the butter we all know, but it's made without the farmland, fertilizers or emissions tied to the typical process. This unprecedented process is happening at the facilities of Savor in an industrial park in the suburbs west of Chicago. "So you're using this gas right now to cook your food and we're proposing that we would like to first make your food with— with that gas," said Kathleen Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Savor. The company's pioneering tech uses carbon and hydrogen to make sticks of butter that anyone would recognize. "This is pretty novel, to be able to make food that looks and tastes and feels exactly like dairy butter, but with no agriculture whatsoever," said Jordan Beiden-Charles, food scientist for Savor. And without a long ingredient list the average person can't pronounce. "It's really just our fat, some water, a little bit of lecithin as an emulsifier, and some natural flavor and color," Beiden-Charles said. This is how it works: Fats are made up of carbon and hydrogen chains. The goal is to replicate those chains without animals or plants. And they did it. To put it in simple terms, Savor says they take carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water, heat them up, oxidize them and get a final result that looks like candle wax but is in fact fat molecules like those in beef, cheese or vegetable oils. The entire process releases zero greenhouse gases, uses no farmland to feed cows, and despite its industrial appearance, has a significantly smaller footprint. "In addition to the carbon footprint being much lower for a process like this, right, the land footprint is, like, a thousand times lower than what you need in traditional agriculture," Alexander said. And the most important question: how does it taste? The answer is surprisingly like the butter we know and love. The company also touts that they do not use any palm oil in the butter, and palm oil is a significant contributor to deforestation and climate change. Of the 51 billion tons of greenhouse gases emitted every year, 7% is from the production of fats and oils from animals and plants, which Savor says makes their process the most climate-friendly option. Right now, the company is working directly with restaurants, bakeries and food suppliers. They are releasing chocolates made with their butter in time for the 2025 holiday season. They expect for the average consumer to be able to buy them in the near future. "Savor Butter, in either its current manifestation or with our partners, we expect that to be on the shelves kind of more like around 2027," Alexander said. The teams in Batavia and their home lab base in San Jose, California, are backed by billionaire Gates who wrote in his blog, "The idea of switching to lab-made fats and oils may seem strange at first. But their potential to significantly reduce our carbon footprint is immense." The company believes butter can make a difference. "This is really about how we feed our species and heal our planet at the same time," Alexander said.
Herald Sun
05-08-2025
- Herald Sun
Most underrated Australian islands
1/7 Reasons to consider a winter (or summer) break on Norfolk Island, 1450km off the coast of NSW. It's got the climate of Byron Bay, as well as the surf, the swimming and the easygoing, self-sufficient vibe Byron used to have. But none of the crowds or traffic jams. It has one of the world's most southerly coral reefs, and is surrounded by a marine national park known for its diverse life. Pretty much all produce is grown organically on the island, it's great quality, and you'll absolutely taste the difference. It's wild and beautiful, with dramatic sea cliffs, placid bays, brilliant hikes in the national park and breathtaking drives that all magically end up back in the main township of Burnt Pine. Its convict history and ruins are captivating and so significant they are on the World Heritage register. It's a renowned Dark Sky zone. Being so far from any light pollution, the night skies here blaze brighter and more abundantly than you can imagine. The locals, who number around 2200, are super friendly, creative, resilient and resourceful. And they might possibly have the best work-life balance of any people anywhere. 2/7 From the northern city of Townsville it's a quick ferry ride across the Coral Sea to one of the most laid-back and beautiful of all Queensland's islands. Magnetic Island – Maggie to its fans – is a 52sq km slice of unspoilt loveliness, 80 per cent of it protected by national or conservation park and all of it surrounded by the World-Heritage wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. It's a place of simple pleasures: hiking mountain trails where koalas, rock wallabies and colourful birdlife await, and testing out the 23 beaches to find your favourite. Book a 4WD tour along the isolated west coast, chart your own adventure on an electric bike or moped or circumnavigate the island by sea with 360 Magnetic Island. There are only four main settlements, each with distinct vibe and charms. Hotels are scarce but there are plenty of holiday lettings listed at and new glamping tents handy to the restaurants and services of Nelly Bay. Go in winter for warm, sunny days, stinger-free swimming and whales galore just offshore. 3/7 Despite being one of Australia's newest – and most spectacular – national parks, the Houtman Abrolhos remain firmly off the radar of most travellers. This archipelago of 210 islands lies 60-80km west of Geraldton in Western Australia, which itself is more than a four-hour drive north of Perth. The islands' remoteness and isolation define their appeal. Like a mini Galápagos or Madagascar, they are home to unique plants and animals found nowhere else, and the surrounding ocean abounds with marine life, including rare Australian sea lions, dolphins and whales (in September to December). Expect plenty of ocean-based activities and a dramatic chapter of Australian history; the Dutch ship Batavia wrecked on the reefs here in 1629 sparking one of history's most murderous mutinies. Visit on a multi-day expedition cruise with Eco Abrolhos or Blue Juice Charters, spending your days swimming, snorkelling over shipwrecks – and the southernmost coral reef in the Indian Ocean – and collecting crays for lunch. Pushed for time? Get a gull's-eye view of the islands with Shine Aviation or Kalbarri Scenic Flights. 4/7 In the Spencer Gulf just off Port Lincoln, Louth Island was, until recently, a privately owned sheep run firmly off the tourist radar. Then tech mogul Che Metcalfe bought the 135ha Eyre Peninsula island in 2021 and began realising his vision for Rumi – a resort hotel where fine dining meets offshore adventures. Getting there is half the fun. Guests board an amphibious Sealegs craft that handles sand and sea with ease and deposits them on the island shore at Homestead Bay. Current accommodation consists of five upstairs rooms in the main building and nine compact bedrooms in the smartly renovated shearing shed, but there are plans to build 26 luxury villas and a day-spa, with construction slated to start this year. In the meantime, Louth is open to day-trippers for dining at its Samphire restaurant, where talented chef Jono Sweet puts local produce to exceptionally good use, and guided buggy tours. Catamaran cruises, beach barbecues and kayak fishing are also on the Rumi menu. 5/7 On Thursday Island, as a local once told me, 'you find a sort of peace that once upon a time used to exist in most parts of the world'. The Torres Strait's 200 or so islands, a mix of mangrove-fringed peaks and coral cays, are strewn between the tip of Cape York and Papua New Guinea. Far removed – physically, culturally and spiritually – from mainland Australia, they offer guaranteed serenity thanks to their mellow pace of life and seductive tropical scenery. Thursday's the main hub and access point to the Torres Strait's rich mix of Indigenous, Pacific and Asian cultures, military and maritime history and its endless supply of crayfish. New-ish operator Strait Experience takes the hassle out of getting there with one-, two- and three-day packages ex-Cairns taking in all the major sights and scenery including the Gab Titui Cultural Centre, traditional dance performances and World War II relics at Horn Island. They also run a two-day escape to Masig Island, a Maldives double in our own backyard. 6/7 Buffeted by the Roaring Forties and marooned in the Southern Ocean midway between mainland Australia and Tasmania, King Island is an exhilarating alternative to Australia's tropical island escapes. It's a short flight from Melbourne or northern Tasmania to this untamed land where cows outnumber residents (by about 100 to one). That explains the isle's excellent reputation for dairy and beef products, alongside super-fresh seafood and craft brews. Balance out the indulgence with vigorous hikes along the coast and interior (see for daylong guided options) and two links courses of challenging, dune-contoured golf greens. Accommodation ranges from farm stays and motels to self-contained cabins and the off-grid Kittawa Lodge. This luxurious property set on almost 40ha of coastal wilderness opened in 2019 offering two one-bedroom dwellings combining the drama of King Island's elemental scenery with interior comforts such as log fires, coffee machines and chef-catered meals. New this year, Kittawa has opened a two-bedroom lodge suited to friends, families and lovers of the great outdoors. More related stories Lifestyle Who says salads have to be boring? 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Chicago Tribune
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Now a senior, Batavia's Quinn Urwiler finds redshirt season at Northern Illinois to be ‘blessing in disguise.'
It's his turn now. His college football career hasn't played out the way he imagined when he was a two-way standout for Batavia, but veteran Northern Illinois linebacker Quinn Urwiler wouldn't trade a thing. 'It's been a very crazy ride,' said Urwiler, who was the Beacon-News Football Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019. 'My class is the last that had the extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic.' Urwiler, a redshirt senior, had his freshman season at North Dakota in the fall 2020 delayed by the pandemic then pushed back to spring 2021 and shortened to seven games. A quick turnaround was followed by a full season that fall before Urwiler transferred to NIU, which he had considered while playing in high school for the powerhouse Bulldogs. Urwiler contributed mainly on special teams in DeKalb in 2022 and briefly in 2023 before deciding to redshirt. Last season, he also figured more prominently in the linebacker rotation. 'It's funny, you know, in high school, I was the guy,' said Urwiler, who also starred at running back. 'Then you come to college and everybody was 'the guy' in high school. 'It was humbling, but I was ready for it. Give me a challenge, I'm going to overcome it and come out a winner. My road took longer, but I'm here and I'm going to make sure my name gets known.' With the Huskies (8-5) returning only five starters from a team that posted a landmark 16-14 win at No. 5 Notre Dame and 28-20 double overtime win against Fresno State in the Idaho Potato Bowl, seventh-year coach Thomas Hammock is glad to have Urwiler back. 'When he first stepped into the team meeting room, Quinn said, 'I'm going to be the hardest working, most physical guy every single day and that's what he's done,' Hammock said. 'He's been tremendous. 'He's going to be the man in the middle for us. He's gonna call the defense and be the guy we're going to rely heavily on to be the type of playmaker we need at the second level.' Hammock has added 14 transfers, but he has 26 players like Urwiler who have had redshirt seasons and time to develop. 'I got the backup role last year and it was fun,' Urwiler said. 'We rotated quite often, so I got to play in every single game. Obviously, my main goal is always to start. 'As a backup, you never know how many snaps you'll get, but you have to make sure you know the playbook inside and out, and if your number gets called, you have to execute at a high level so there's no drop-off between the ones and twos.' That's what the 6-foot, 226-pound Urwiler, who has his degree in general studies and is taking post-graduate kinesiology classes, did last season. Urwiler matched his uniform number with 32 tackles in limited play and stepped up big late in the bowl game with two key stops. 'They threw me in that series where it really mattered,' Urwiler said. 'It was kind of funny, checking my phone afterward. I got a couple DMs on Twitter from random NIU fans saying, 'Thank you for saving the game.' That was kind of cool.' Urwiler also wishes the NFL would back off rule changes that have been made in an attempt to make special teams safer. 'I think they're a great part of the game,' Urwiler said. 'It's just where you get to let loose and basically go one-on-one with somebody. May the fittest man win, I guess you could say.' Hammock remembers he wasn't pleased when Urwiler asked to redshirt. 'He was a special teams captain and major contributor but wanted a bigger role on defense,' Hammock said. 'I was a little upset, but I'm glad he did. 'It gave us an extra year to have him as a leader — a blessing in disguise. He's gonna play his best football as a senior.'
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
85-year-old former Batavia firefighter wins 9 medals at World Police and Fire Games
85-year-old former Batavia firefighter wins 9 medals at World Police and Fire Games Solve the daily Crossword
