Pig fat has made the leap from kitchen staple to laboratory marvel. Scientists have used it to grow bone. Researchers report June 15 in Science Translational Medicine, stem cells from the fat tissue of Yucatán minipigs grew into pieces of bone that were then successfully implanted into the pigs’ jaws. In a special chamber in the lab, the team of bioengineers used cow bone scaffolds infused with stem cells from a minipig’s fat tissue to grow bone grafts. The new bones fared better after six months than standard bone grafts not seeded with fat cells. They were personally fitted to each minipig’s jaw. One day fat stem cells could be used to repair humans’ broken or worn-out body parts.