Engineering
Self-Healing Concrete Using Bacterial Spores
Quick fact
Researchers have embedded bacterial spores that can remain dormant for up to two centuries in concrete, and when cracks form, water activates them to produce limestone that seals the crack—no human intervention needed.
Why this is interesting
Imagine a bridge that can heal its own cracks like a living organism. Concrete, the most widely used building material, is notoriously prone to cracking, but scientists have found a way to make it self-repair using dormant bacteria.