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Scientists have used animal cells to create an artificial form of meat without the need for the rearing and slaughtering of livestock. The product, known as "in vitro meat", is made from thousands of stem cells which multiply to produce strips of muscle tissue without ever leaving the lab. Dutch scientists experimenting with pig cells say it could be just six months before the first test tube sausage is produced, and within a year lab-grown burgers could be created using similar techniques with cows.

A review of two recent studies (Gallup and Aberdeen Group) summarizes some of the key findings of the value of internal social networks.   18% boost in employee engagement streamlined operations better, faster innovation failing to engage employees costs $300B in wasted productivity

Before May 1st, not even the smartest of machine learning algorithms could have predicted Keith Urbahn's online relevancy score, or his potential to spark an incredibly viral information flow. While politicos "in the know" certainly knew him or of him, his previous interactions and size and nature of his social graph did little to reflect his potential to generate thousands of people's willingness to trust within a matter of minutes. While connections, authority, trust and persuasiveness play a key role in influencing others, they are only part of a complex set of dynamics that affect people's perception of a person, a piece of information or a product. Timing, initiating a network effect at the right time, and frankly, a dash of pure luck matter equally.

Google hopes that its slow rollout will encourage a steady momentum, and in the early stages Google+ will provide enough value to keep the early adopters engaged, and that it will motivate them to invite their contacts. No one expects an instant success. But even if this week's launch evokes snark or yawns, Google will keep at it. Google+ is not a product like Buzz or Wave where the company's leaders can chalk off a failure to laudable ambition and then move on. "We're in this for the long run," says Ben-Yair. "This isn't like an experiment. We're betting on this, so if obstacles arise, we'll adapt." "I don't really see what Google's alternative is," says Smarr. "People are going to be a fundamental layer of the internet. There's no going back."

Many of these tools were mentioned by my team in a recent offsite - nice validation!