Scientists Create Artificial Bones From Wood 138
steve_thatguy writes "According to Discovery News, Italian scientists have made artificial bone from wood. Created by blasting wood blocks with heat until they are nearly pure carbon then coating them with calcium, the scientists say the material allows bones to heal faster and more securely. Unlike titanium, the wood-based artificial bones flex slightly much like real bone, and the porous nature of the wood allows for better bio-activity with surrounding tissue. Though human testing is still likely years away, the material is currently being used successfully in sheep and may have other industrial applications."
Safer than Titaniam (Score:5, Interesting)
"Paradoxically, metal or ceramic implants meant to prevent bone breaks can sometimes cause them. Current implants are significantly harder than the bone that surrounds them. Natural bone can flex slightly. In fact, stress helps build stronger bones. However, the harder implants can apply so much stress to a particular area that the bone snaps. Softer wooden implants might cause fewer bone breaks."
Hm, this is like what I learned in Structures: or Why Things Don't Fall Down. [amazon.com]
The author noted that insurance companies, finding a weak wall, would often over-retrofit it. Then the building collapses, becase the weight that would have been born by the wall is displaced onto the other walls.
He also wrote about the cult of metal. The only reason engines are made of metal, he explained, is because they have to contain very high temperatures. If it were not for that, they could be made far more efficiently with hoses and bladders. He challenged the readers to come up with ways to make things that are presently made out of metal out of other materials -- such as wood and bird feathers.
Re:those poor chickens with boneless breasts (Score:5, Interesting)
I wish I could find that website again. I wonder if they have beaten their old record. They must have by now.
SheepShit!! (Score:3, Interesting)
Sheep die at the slightest insult to their systems. A runny nose is a death sentence. I find it unbelievable that sheep are recuperating on their own with the assistance of some charcoal and calcium
Re:Safer than Titaniam (Score:3, Interesting)
Sorry for the ignorant question, as I'm a EE, not a doctor or biomed expert.
If hip replacements cause the body to dissolve the top of the femur because of this loading issue, then why not just replace the entire femur with a metal replacement? Why try to join two dissimilar materials this way?
What's so hard about simply making artificial replacement bones? If you replace the entire bone, it seems that this loading issue shouldn't be a problem any more, and the only challenge is how to attach tendons and cartilage so the joints work properly.