Beyond Coffee:

Freeze-drying—of all things—made headlines last week. First, Hawaiian researchers successfully fertilized mouse eggs using freeze-dried, reconstituted mouse sperm.

Then the Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever lyophilized (freeze-dried) migraine medication, a melt-in-your-mouth tablet taken without water. Not bad for a technique originally developed for preserving blood plasma during World War II.

Alan Anger of Freezedry Specialties says the industry's hottest growth these days is in pet preservation, a service his company offers as "a permanent, respectful of… [your] loyal companion." Unlike taxidermy, freeze-drying is non-intrusive, so "little Buffy isn't sliced and diced"– a dreaded prospect for grieving owners.

Any downsides? "You've got to look at it every day!" he jokes, glancing at a freeze-dried feline perched in his office.