Free Republic

Pirates can now trade in their peg-legs for real legs as scientists transform wood into bone.In a Royal Society of Chemistry journal Italian chemists show that ordinary wood can be turned into bone suitable for repairing damaged limbs.It brings a whole new meaning to the term "tree surgery".The microstructure of the wood is the perfect natural template for making bone as it allows growth of blood vessels and tissues, Anna Tampieri and colleagues report in the Journal of Materials Chemistry.By treating wood with a fairly simple set of chemical processes, the natural structure of the wood is retained.The wood is...