Dutch researchers at Wageningen University's "Fruit of Knowledge" project have created tomatoes without a plant. Just as artificial meat is created in a Petri dish, Dutch researchers are also investigating how to create a plant product, such as a tomato, without having to grow the entire tomato plant. The research leaders, Lucas van der Zee and Niels Peeters, reported on their work in the journal Trends in Biotechnology. The essence of the process is that researchers develop a flower using cells taken from a flower stem and then induce it to ripen. The work process was described in four steps: The method is not entirely new; in 1940, researchers observed that fruit developed from cut flowers under appropriate conditions. In 1953, pollinated flowers from various plants were cut off the plants. When these were placed in a solution containing minerals and sugar, small fruits developed from the flowers. It was later discovered that cut tomato fruits and corn kernels grew to a similar ...