And Lo, the golden age is at hand, for we now posess...Follow

...Instant Steak prodicing technology!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060327.MEAT27/TPStory/?query=meat+starter+cells

Basically, our wonderful carniverous scientist geniuses have created self replicateing steak cells in a test tube! Do we not live in glorious times??? Just think, someday you push a button, and out pops a brand new steak! No more messy cow slaughtering in your appartment! Fun for the whole family! Grow a steak that fits perfectly in your toaster! The possibilities are endless!

This could be the single greatest day since the invention of the live feral chicken!

I'm vegetarian and except for the fact that I just don't think it tastes all that good, this would alliviate nearly any other qualms I had about eating meat.

I still wouldn't eat it cause, well it's just not good. Y'all carnivors do as you choose but this is pretty remarkable!

If we can create steak that replicated what's stopping us from applying the technology to any number of uses. Anyone up for curing world hunger? It could also have a very strong impact on chemical and biological weapons but given the right controls, the uses for good are nearly endless.

SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!!

I hate to break the news, but my uncle beat them to this years ago. He's had steaks reproducing out in his back pasture as long as I can remember.

I sense a new surge in the sex-toy industry.

I see stomachs rupturing as the steak continues to self replicate even after consumption.

Could be right around the corner, could be a long ways off.

Calories are very cheap but isolated protein is relatively expensive thus if they can grow it from, say, corn and soy it stands a far greater chance of economic feasibility. However, in some sense, that is an artificial digestive track, not muscle. Therefore I imagine it will require: (a) relatively pure protein (perhaps extracted via an artificial "stomach") or (b) some serious genetic tinkering. In case (a) it would be pricy and why not just sell that pure protein? In case (b) I'm unsure it would be steak-like.

Your dog wants instant steak.

Dude. I suggest a good housecleaning.

Test Tubesteak.

Certainly sounds like a training *****.

seconded.

Indeed.

Actually, that is what my pets *will* eat, not what they actually *do* eat. My house is fairly clean - and virtually everything edible is "locked" behind babyproof latches. If it weren't, it would be eaten (by somebody), even the raw, unbleached flour.

Kibble is *vastly* cheaper then human food (on the order of: US$0.30 per pound, US$0.60 per kilogram) so no, we don't really save any money by feeding her scraps. She weighs about 120 lbs (mass of about 60 kg) and thus she eats enough that unless we were feeding a small battalion the table scraps just aren't going to save us much money.