Funny and Stupid Ideas: 08 May 2006

Paper Says Edible Meat Can be Grown in a Lab on Industrial Scale

Microscopic image of turkey muscle cells grown in culture Experiments for NASA space missions have shown that small amounts of edible meat can be created in a lab. But the technology that could grow chicken nuggets without the chicken, on a large scale, may not be just a science fiction fantasy.

In a paper in the June 29 issue of Tissue Engineering, a team of scientists, including University of Maryland doctoral student Jason Matheny, propose two new techniques of tissue engineering that may one day lead to affordable production of in vitro - lab grown -- meat for human consumption. It is the first peer-reviewed discussion of the prospects for industrial production of cultured meat.

[technorati tags: Paper, Says, Edible, Meat, Lab, Industrial]

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Cow gets head stuck in tree

Imagine driving down a relaxing country road, only to see a 700-pound heifer's backside sticking out of a oak tree with its head stuck inside a narrow, hollow opening.

[technorati tags: Cow, gets, head, stuck, tree]

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Snake dies after biting priest

New Delhi - A snake in eastern India bit a priest, vomited blood and died shortly after.

The priest, who is recovering in a hospital in Jharkhand state, attributed the miracle to the Hindu god Lord Shiva, news reports said.

The priest of Nag Devta (the snake god) temple was bitten by a five-foot snake in the temple premises in Jharkhand, the IANS news agency reported on Monday, quoting local newspapers.

The temple is located in the Badapaghar village of Dumka district, about 450 kilometres from the state capital Ranchi.

"Lord Shiva's charisma saved me," the priest said at the hospital. Amazed villagers also said Lord Shiva saved the Hindu priest.

"Usually a person does not survive if the snake dies or gets killed after biting," one villager said. "The priest has not only survived but is also behaving normally."

Lord Shiva, one of the three main Hindu gods, wears a snake around his neck. It is said to symbolise the power he has over deadly creatures.

For many Hindus, the shedding of skin by snakes also symbolises reincarnation. - Sapa-dpa

[technorati tags: Snake, dies, after, biting, priest]

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Are they making soup?

[technorati tags: fire, soup, bath, stupid, funny]

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So, your baby has a beard. Don't worry - you are not alone.

Hundreds, perhaps even thousands of babies with beards are born each year.
Babies With Beards is your window to the world of bearded babies!

[technorati tags: Babies, With, Beards]

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I couldn't eat a whole one

[technorati tags: eat, whole, one, pot, child]

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Pets attend church service

Northampton - More than 25 furry and feathered animals accompanied their owners to a service dedicated to pets at a British church on Sunday.
One dog barked along during the singing of hymns at Park Avenue Methodist Church in Northampton, central England, said church steward Tony Bayes.
But the other dogs, reptiles and birds impressed parishioners with their calmness during the hour-long worship, Bayes said, noting that the service drew an enthusiastic crowd of about 130 people.
"People said they were amazed at the number of people coming in smiling," Bayes said.
The special pet service, which was part of the church's 80th birthday celebration, focused on the need to live in harmony with animals. "Sometimes we don't respect them as much as we should," Bayes said.
The service featured stories told from the viewpoint of animals and challenged parishioners to consider the effects of everyday human consumerism on other creatures, he said.
The church borrowed the pet service idea from other churches and from the British Broadcasting Corp. TV comedy series "The Vicar of Dibley," in which pets get rowdy during a religious service. Park Avenue Methodist Church had better luck, with no messes and no parishioner complaints, Bayes said.

[technorati tags: Pets, attend, church, service]

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Tourists caught with their pants down

Quite literally. The web site for one of Norway's biggest tourist attractions has started publishing photos of visitors who use the nearby woods to relieve themselves.

Caught in the act.

PHOTO: VORINGFOSSEN.COM

Officials at the waterfall Vøringfossen, on the road between Bergen and Oslo, have grown weary of all the tourists who let their own water fall on the trails and bushes in the popular area.

"Too many people are using the woods as a toilet," Lise Nilsen, who's responsible for Vøringfossen's web site, told newspaper Bergens Tidende.

That means other people "are stepping on excrement and the trails stink of urine," Nilsen said. "Something had to be done."

So a sign was posted, asking tourists to please use public toilets and not the woods. The sign also warned tourists that they may be photographed, and that the photos could be publicized on the waterfall's web site.

Tourism officials in Norway aren't happy.

"This is an unacceptable approach to the problem of a lack of sanitary facilities," said Nina Broch Mathisen, of Innovasjon Norge's office in Hordaland. "I've never seen anything like this, and I think the photos should be removed. It's destructive for tourism in (the area)."

Several thousand tourists visit the waterfall every day. The local cafeteria adjacent to the waterfall has just one public toilet, from 1956. Owners of the land around the waterfall and local government officials reportedly have argued for years over how upgraded sanitary facilities should be financed.

[technorati tags: Tourists, caught, pants, down, funny, stupid]

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