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- 12 categories from Military to Myth-busting
Roman concrete could heal its own cracks
Roman marine concrete mixed volcanic ash (pozzolana) with lime and seawater. Modern analysis found that lime clasts in the mix react with water seeping into cracks, recrystallising to seal them. Researchers at MIT and Berkeley have been studying the recipe to make longer-lasting modern concrete.
Source: Seymour, Jackson et al., "Hot mixing," Science Advances, 2023.