Scientists have figured out how to grow tiny nuggets of lab meat and say it will one day be possible to produce steaks in vats, sans any livestock.
Pork chops or burgers cultivated in labs could eliminate contamination problems, as well as address environmental concerns that come with industrial livestock farms.
However, such research opens up strange and perhaps even disturbing possibilities once considered only the realm of science fiction.
Currently, bioengineers are growing nerve, heart and other tissues in labs. Although such research is meant to help treat patients, biomedical engineers suggest growing skeletal muscle in labs -- the kind people typically think of as the meat they eat -- could also help feed the rising demand for meat worldwide.