Better Off Ted: Test Tube Meat

ABC's new comedy, Better Off Ted, is centered around the antics of the research and development division of the only-slightly-fictional mega corporation Veridian Dynamics. It's a funny show -- it doesn't have a stream of constant zingers, but the cast has chemistry and the characters are enjoyable. Last night's episode was about a crash project to grow beef (or at least something beeflike) without the cow. Unfortunately, according to the company's long suffering food taster, their initial efforts tasted more like "despair." Growing edible meat in a vat is classic staple of science fiction, but its has also been a goal of several real researchers ever since 1908, when Alexi Carrel kept some chicken heart tissue alive and growing in a nutrient bath. The pace has quickened since the turn of the 21st century, with the non-profit research organization New Harvest being founded in 2004 to support work in developing ...