In work by various labs in the United States, the Netherlands
and Australia (reported by Toronto's Globe and Mail in March),
meat was grown in test tubes, and such dishes may yet be a
staple in progressive kitchens. "Before bed, throw starter cells
and a package of growth medium into the (coffee maker-sized)
meat maker and wake up to harvest-fresh sausage for breakfast,"
wrote the Globe and Mail. Engineered meat would taste like beef
or pork, but could be created to be as healthful as salmon. One
private group told researchers it was interested in growing
human meat, but funding for any of the work will be difficult,
said a Medical University of South Carolina scientist. [Globe
and Mail, 3-27-06]
A family has been found in Kurdish Turkey whose members walk on
all fours, use the palms of their hands for balance, and stand
upright only with difficulty, according to researchers who
filmed the family for a March British television show. According
to Professor Nicholas Humphrey of the London School of
Economics, scientists' best guess for the family's condition is
that their inbreeding caused the reprise of genetic traits long
thought to have been evolutionarily passed over. [Daily Mail
(London), 3-7-06]
