During World War II, Dow Chemical Co. was assigned a tough job. It had to make synthetic amino acids needed to speed the recovery of wounded soldiers. In doing the job, Dow experimented with chickens, noted that the birds grew bigger and faster when an amino acid called di-methionine was added to their diet. Dow thought di-methionine had commercial possibilities, but there was one hitch: it cost $11 a lb. Dow spent $200,000 on research, another $1,000,000 on a plant in Pittsburg, Calif, with a capacity of 2,000 Ibs. of di-methionine a day. This week, Dow put di-methionine on the market at $3 a lb., well within the reach of most poultrymen. Said Dow: one or two pounds of di-methionine added to a ton of feed will produce a 10% larger chicken.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Putin’s Enemies Are Struggling to Unite
- Women Say They Were Pressured Into Long-Term Birth Control
- What Student Photojournalists Saw at the Campus Protests
- Scientists Are Finding Out Just How Toxic Your Stuff Is
- Boredom Makes Us Human
- John Mulaney Has What Late Night Needs
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com