Artificial meat grown in laboratory

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Meat has been grown in a laboratory for the first time, Dutch researchers say.

Mark Post, professor of physiology at Eindhoven University, told The Sunday Times that he and colleagues have succeeded in growing what he described as soggy pork in a lab and are now investigating ways of improving it enough to pass potential consumers' taste tests.

"What we have at the moment is rather like wasted muscle tissue," Post told the newspaper. "We need to find ways of improving it by training it and stretching it, but we will get there. This product will be good for the environment and will reduce animal suffering. If it feels and tastes like meat, people will buy it."

The newspaper said the scientists took cells from a live pig's muscles and immersed them in a mixture of other animal products. The cells reportedly multiplied and created muscle tissue that could be turned into something resembling steak by artificially "exercising" it, The Sunday Times said.