I thought the whole 'ancient Roman concrete self-heals' thing was just hype until I saw the mineral deposits in a sample from Ostia under a microscope.

The tiny calcite crystals filling the cracks looked like a textbook diagram, which convinced me the research papers weren't exaggerating. Has anyone else seen a lab sample that changed their mind about a theory?

3 comments

3 Comments

josephbutler6d ago

Guess the Romans were better at fixing cracks than my last landlord.

taylor.amy6d ago

Yeah it's wild how much better old stuff was built. I swear everything now is made to just barely work until the warranty runs out. My parents' house from the 70s feels solid as a rock, but my new apartment has cracks in the wall after one winter. They just don't make things to last anymore, it's all about cutting corners for profit.

holly7136d ago

Made to just barely work until the warranty runs out" is so true. I used to roll my eyes at people who said older things were better, thought it was just nostalgia. Then my grandma's 1980s blender finally died after my third new one broke in two years. The old one was all metal gears inside, the new ones are just plastic. Really changed how I see things.