Scientists Turn Wood Into Bones

January 11th, 2010 by Editor

Doctors and scientists have long been using metals to replace broken bones, but new research from scientists in Italy shows that wood can be transformed into a more effective material that is very similar to human bone. Wood was chosen as a starting point because it already closely resembles the structure of bone, and after 10 days under pressure and heat in a furnace, it becomes a chalky porous material with bone-like properties. This could be ahuge leap forward for people sufferingfrom bone loss or traumatic injuries, and what’s even better, it all comes from anatural material– wood!