Yes, You Really Can Make Food From Thin Air—And We Tried It

Gastropod

Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Science, Food, History, Arts

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Every second of every day, plants on earth do something miraculous: they take the carbon dioxide from air and turn it into food. With very few exceptions, everything we eat starts out that way. But what if we wanted to cut out the middlemen, re-wild all those fields full of wheat and corn, and manufacture dinner directly from the atmosphere ourselves? Scientists began dreaming of turning air into food back into the 1800s, but it's only recently that dream has become a reality—with results that, depending on where you live, you can already taste for yourself. In this episode, we’re exploring the history and science that made this particular sci-fi future real: from a space-age vodka and military-grade yogurt-like substance to surprisingly delicious gas-based butter and bonbons. Join us this episode as we explore the weird science and fascinating history behind this futuristic food, and discover how it might help us save this planet *and* survive on new ones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Here we go. Here's my first food from the air ever. I can't even. It feels so science fiction. I mean, the fact that it actually was created literally from air, I know. I can't even imagine. So I'm going to get out a knife here. I am pretty excited. So I need a knife and a plate. And I have some bread. Yes, you heard that right.
0:26.0	Nikki and I were about to taste food that was literally created out of thin air. And it wasn't
0:31.3	imaginary. It was real. Real spreadable, meltable, edible butter made from air.
0:38.4	Right now, you're all probably wondering, what in the world are you talking about?
0:43.3	And we are going to answer that question this episode of Gastropod.
0:46.4	You are indeed listening to Gastropod.
0:48.6	We're not science fiction.
0:50.2	We're the podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history.
0:53.0	I'm Cynthia Graber.
0:53.9	And I am Nicola Twilly.
0:55.4	And this episode, can we really bypass plants and animals and just get all our nourishment from the same stuff we breathe?
1:03.6	And why on earth would we want to?
1:05.5	This episode is supported in part by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the public understanding of science, technology and economics. Gastropod is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network in partnership with Eater.
1:19.9	Support for this episode comes in part from Vitamix. Quick kitchen history lesson, electric
1:26.4	blenders first introduced in 1922 were invented to make milkshakes.
1:32.8	What followed was iconic Americana, the era of teenagers in checkered floor soda fountains and drugstores, jiving to jukeboxes,
1:41.5	slurping shared milkshakes through two straws.
1:45.1	In the late 1930s, Vitamix began promoting their new blenders for use beyond making milkshakes.
1:51.5	Soon, electric blenders found their way into kitchens across the country,
1:55.7	where they've been essential cooking tools ever since.
1:58.8	Vitamix reimagined the blender as a powerful, versatile tool, ideal for making soups,
2:03.9	nut butter, marinades, and, of course, delicious nostalgic milkshakes.
	...

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