A San Francisco startup, Pembient, is using biotechnology to 3D print fake rhino horns that match the real ones in genetic makeup. Their plan? To flood the Chinese market, where the demand for rhino horns has driven poaching to critical levels, with these synthetic alternatives. By selling these horns at a much lower price, about one-eighth of what poachers would get for real ones, they aim to make poaching less profitable, potentially saving rhinos from extinction.

The CEO, Matthew Markus, claims their lab-grown horns are even purer than those from wild rhinos, free from modern pollutants. Pembient's strategy is innovative, aiming to disrupt the black market by flooding it with affordable, indistinguishable fakes. They're even planning to introduce a beer in China made with this synthetic horn, perhaps to change how the product is viewed culturally.

While this approach could reduce poaching, it also raises questions about promoting the use of rhino horn in different contexts, which might affect conservation efforts in unforeseen ways.