Plus: Synthetic Meat, Laser-Controlled Weather and Newborn Star Videos.

Growing Meat in a Lab
Your next burger may come from a lab instead of farm, as scientists are close to producing the first artificial meat to be grown in a test tube, which has the potential to supplement or even replace meat derived from livestock.

“First we hunted animals for their meat. Then we developed ways to raise them on farms. Now we are on the verge of the next breakthrough,” New Scientist explains. “Within months labs could be growing synthetic meat for the table — and not just the usual steaks and burgers either. Meat from exotic animals could one day widen our culinary choices, for those adventurous enough to try.”

Researchers recently met in Sweden at a workshop sponsored by the European Science Foundation to explore the possibilities of growing synthetic meat, and experts claim the first edible, lab-grown meat product could be just six months away. Experiments with pig cells have already yielded a method for growing muscle tissue under lab conditions by combining pig stem cells with fetal horse serum.

The process of creating “meat without slaughter” would reduce the impact of livestock on the environment and help feed the world’s rapidly growing population. However, it remains uncertain how the synthetic meat would taste, and while processed products such as sausages would be relatively easy to replicate, whole steaks could prove much more problematic to create. Additionally, many consumers regard synthetic meats as “unnatural.”

“If scientists are successful in creating an edible product, the harmless technique could even be applied to rare and endangered animals, paving the way for products like panda burgers,” the Telegraph reports. “The World Health Organization has predicted that meat consumption will double by 2050, and the increasing cost of animal feed is likely to rapidly inflate the price of meat before then.”

Laser-Based Weather Control
Imagine being able to decide where, when and how often it rains? In the latest step toward weather control, scientists have developed a method for creating water in the atmosphere through the use of lasers.

A team from the University of Geneva in Switzerland created the “laser-assisted water condensation” technique as a safer alternative to current cloud-seeding methods, which fill the air with dry ice and silver iodide.

“Current cloud seeding methods tend to involve chemicals like silver iodide, which is classified as a hazardous substance and as a toxic pollutant,” Wired U.K. explains. “Ingestion in large enough quantities can cause iodism, which manifests as skin rashes, headaches, anemia, irritation of mucous membranes and depression. Chucking that stuff into the atmosphere isn’t a great idea.”

According to findings recently published in Nature, the laser-based process involves powerful beams fired into the air to create nitric acid particles, which bind water molecules together and prevent them from evaporating. Although the researchers expect to be able to control the size of the droplets in the future, the water droplets that have been collected so far are too small to fall as rain and the method only works in humid air, not dry air, so there are some hurdles to be overcome in developing true weather control.

“But their inability to produce raindrop-sized water droplets doesn’t have the researchers discouraged,” science and sci-fi blog io9 notes. “In fact, they think that in the future lasers like theirs could be used to trigger rainfall in sufficiently humid atmospheres, or even prevent rainfall from occurring by generating so many tiny droplets that none of them grow heavy enough to descend to earth.”

Surfing the Web Can Improve Productivity
Perhaps we shouldn’t feel guilty about browsing the Web or wasting time on social networks while at work, as new research indicates that killing time on the Internet can actually improve worker productivity.

According to a new study from the National University of Singapore, Web browsing can refresh exhausted employees and boost their ability to work. For their experiment, the researchers had undergraduate management students perform a task, then assigned them into three groups: a control group that had to complete a second task, a rest-break group that could relax but without surfing the Web and a third group that was allowed to browse the Web. Afterward, each group had to return to the original task.

“The researchers found that the Web-surfers were significantly more productive and effective at the tasks than those in the other two groups and reported lower levels of mental exhaustion, boredom and higher levels of engagement,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

The study found that those who browse the Internet during work usually visit the sites they like, providing an experience similar to a coffee break or snack break that rejuvenates an employee. For that reason, the researchers cautioned employers against placing too many restrictions on employee Web access, recommending that managers provide time for limited Web surfing during the day.

“Taking a minute to relieve your brain from boring work duty has its benefits,” the Atlantic Wire notes. “For you econ folks, it works like diminishing marginal returns: the more you work, the worse your end product — at some point you need to pause and refresh. Screwing around online has that power, explain the authors.”

Hubble Movies Show Evolution of Young Stars
Newborn stars fire off enormous jets of glowing gas that travel at supersonic speeds through space, and while astronomers have studied these jets for years, NASA is now providing videos of the beautiful phenomena.

Constructed from a series of high-resolution images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope over a 14-year period, the time-lapse videos provide a fascinating glimpse of the birth and development of new stars, offering some insight on how our own Sun behaved 4.5 billion years ago.

In observance of Labor Day, IMT will be shuttered on Monday and will return on Tuesday. Until then, have a safe and happy holiday, folks.