How are ancient Roman and Mayan buildings still standing? Scientists are unlocking their secrets wokv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wokv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
How are ancient Roman and Mayan buildings still standing? Scientists are unlocking their secrets | iNFOnews infotel.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from infotel.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In the quest to build better for the future, some are looking for answers in the long-ago past. Ancient builders across the world created structures that are still standing today, thousands of years later from Roman engineers who poured thick concrete sea barriers, to Maya masons who crafted plaster sculptures to their gods, to Chinese builders who raised walls against invaders. Yet scores of more recent structures are already staring down their expiration dates: The concrete that makes up much of our modern world has a lifespan of around 50 to 100 years.
Scientists' reverse-engineering of ancient buildings has revealed some impressive properties, like the ability to get stronger over time and 'heal' cracks when they form.