Christmas ham, anyone? Scientists in the Netherlands have made a breakthrough in creative cuisine by growing the first pork in a laboratory. The scientists, who haven’t actually tasted their creation yet, extracted cells from the muscle of a live pig and then incubated them in a solution containing nutrients to encourage them to multiply indefinitely.
The result was sticky muscle tissue that requires exercise, like human muscles, to turn it into a tougher steak-like consistency. The problem is that the resulting pork is rather soggy and mealy, but the researchers say they are finding ways to punch up its texture and flavor. If this little holiday piggy came from the lab instead of the farm, greenhouse gas emissions could be sliced by 18%, according to the UN. That’s something to chew on.