Google co-founder named as man behind 'test-tube hamburger'

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has been revealed as the man who bankrolled the research producing the world's first lab-grown hamburger, unveiled in London. With $380,000 in funding from the Internet entrepreneur, scientists were able to grow enough meat in the lab to create a burger patty as a proof of concept. The burger was cooked and eaten by a panel of testers Monday who pronounced it similar in texture to the real thing but lacking a bit in flavor, The Guardian newspaper reported. Brn, one of the wealthiest men in the world, is known for backing projects on the cutting edge of many fields of science, including asteroid mining, driver-less cars, and a project to sell trips to the moon for $100 million per ticket. Researchers used Brin's funding to grow 20,000 muscle fibers from cow stem cells over the course of three months. "It's really just proof of concept right now; we're trying to create the first cultured beef hamburger," Brin said in a video to mark the tasting event in London. "From there I'm optimistic that we can really scale by leaps and bounds."