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Scientists Create Artificial Bones From Wood

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the sticks-and-bones dept.

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."

23 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. Bones out of wood? by oahazmatt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well that's not good. Now if they bleed they're going to attract ants.

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    Those who believe the Internet is private,
    find their privates are on the Internet.
    1. Re:Bones out of wood? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      that would be like me saying your brain is made of retard, when in fact, retard is just the end result

    2. Re:Bones out of wood? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Funny

      And Christian fundamentalists. If you get enough of these bone replacements, they might start calling you a witch.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  2. those poor chickens with boneless breasts by goffster · · Score: 5, Funny

    They now have hope

    1. Re:those poor chickens with boneless breasts by pavon · · Score: 3, Funny

      I did my own experiment this weekend involving boneless chicken breasts sprinkled with calcium chloride, and placed over wood that had been previously heated in a vacuum till nearly carbon.

      The scientific results were tasty.

    2. Re:those poor chickens with boneless breasts by swanzilla · · Score: 5, Funny

      how humerus

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      0 = 1 + e^(Alt something)
    3. Re:those poor chickens with boneless breasts by bughunter · · Score: 3, Funny

      I did the same, but I used sodium chloride, and included some wood chips soaked in dihydrogen monoxide. Somewhat tastier, despite the use of the Earth's most deadly chemical.

      --
      I can see the fnords!
    4. Re:those poor chickens with boneless breasts by bughunter · · Score: 5, Funny

      We chemistry nerds tend to party among ourselves. And we know all the best chemicals.

      So yes, our parties are quite entertaining.

      Plus, we like to blow shit up.

      /hold my ethyl alcohol solution and watch this

      --
      I can see the fnords!
  3. Sheep with wooden legs? by mr_flea · · Score: 4, Funny

    So... if they're giving sheep wooden legs... does that mean they're creating pirate sheep? Are they also giving them eye patches and pet parrots?

    1. Re:Sheep with wooden legs? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      And here we have a very strange internet rule 34 confirmation.

    2. Re:Sheep with wooden legs? by sentientbeing · · Score: 3, Funny

      Theyre enhancing sheep with charcoal bones to create legs of lamb that can BBQ themselves

      --

      ------
      beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his mind he dreams himself your master
  4. mmmmhm by nnnich · · Score: 4, Funny

    let washington's dentist be chastised no more!

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    she was the daughter of a wealthy florentine pogen read em and weep was her adjustable slogan
  5. Prior art by srussia · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'll be claiming me mateys...arr!

    --
    Set your phasers on "funky"!
  6. Artificial bones in sheep? by Sta7ic · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's what I call some baaaahhhd medicine.

  7. Wooden bone, punchline. by HornWumpus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Pinocchio: 'Who needs a girlfriend now that I have sandpaper.'

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  8. Re:Leave it to the Italians... by snspdaarf · · Score: 3, Funny

    AND mix in sheep. Urk.

    --
    Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!
  9. Move Over Lee Majors by bradorsomething · · Score: 5, Funny

    Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We can make him stronger... faster... using the latest in prefabrication materials from Home Depot. He is... the Sixty-Five Dollar Man.

  10. Re:Been Doing This For Years by ArsonSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

    And putting it in sheep too right?

    --
    Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  11. Steven Wright was right by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "I saw a man with a wooden leg, and a real foot." -- Steven Wright

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  12. Very old news... by ak_hepcat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Pirates have been replacing damaged or missing limbs with replacements made of wood for years!

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  13. Perry Bible Fellowship Comic by plisskin · · Score: 3, Funny
    Yarrr!

    http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF165-Yarteries.jpg

  14. It's all fun and games... by kuzb · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...until your first termite infestation :(

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    BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
  15. Re:SheepShit!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    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

    Mint jelly and a roasting pan tend to be fatal as well.