Meat grown in a lab could grace our plates by year’s end (but it probably won’t)

In vitro meat is one of those futuristic products that feels like it belongs to a future full of hovercraft, silver jumpsuits and Leonardo DiCaprio dropping into our dreams. Imagine our surprise, then, to see an article in the Daily Mail bearing the unapologetically emphatic headline “Artificial meat grown in a lab could become a reality THIS year.” The article suggests that 2012 could be the breakthrough year for lab-produced meat (which could help ease world hunger, animal suffering, climate change, etc.), and even contains an, ahem, scientific-looking infographic to show how the process works (it’s worth a click). If you ask us, that timeline feels mighty optimistic; researchers profiled in recent issues of The New Yorker and The Walrus indicated that we’re still some distance away from sitting down for a nice cut of vat-grown rib-eye (doesn’t that sound lovely?). Read the entire story [Daily Mail] »

(Images: steak, FotoosVanRobin; petri dish, JamesZ_Flickr)