The irony of the world is that practically every conference and gathering to “save the woods” takes place inside a tastefully furnished space that is filled with items derived from the felling of trees. Despite all the efforts made by environmentalists to stop deforestation activities, the market for wood-derived products was valued at $631 billion in 2021 and is predicted to reach $900 billion by 2026. Has the battle to conserve our woods already been lost?
Well, not yet, as a new method promises to eliminate the need for tree cutting. According to MIT researchers, products created from natural wood can be replaced with lab-grown lumber. They have created a method for producing lumber in any shape and size, so for instance, if you need a new wooden chair, you can make it in a lab using the researcher’s method without cutting down a single tree.
How did the scientists make wood in a laboratory?
In an experiment, scientists at MIT gave regular plant cells characteristics of stem cells. They took cells from the leaves of the Common Zinnia (Zinnia Elegans), a blooming plant, and kept them in a liquid medium for a few days. The researchers next used a gel-based media that was enhanced with nutrients and hormones to treat the plant cells.
The cells eventually produced new plant cells. The scientists also discovered that they could modify the physical and mechanical characteristics of the developing cells by altering the hormone levels in the gel medium. Plant material with high hormone concentrations stiffened during the testing.
“Hormones have a role in the development of your cells and the emergence of specific features in the human body. The responses of the plant cells can also be altered by altering the hormone concentrations in the nutrient broth. Ashley Beckwith, the main researcher, explained the function of hormones in plant cell proliferation. “We can elicit really big changes in terms of the physical results just by changing these tiny chemical quantities,” Beckwith stated.
Well, not yet, as a new method promises to eliminate the need for tree cutting. According to MIT researchers, products created from natural wood can be replaced with lab-grown lumber. They have created a method for producing lumber in any shape and size, so for instance, if you need a new wooden chair, you can make it in a lab using the researcher’s method without cutting down a single tree.
How did the scientists make wood in a laboratory?
In an experiment, scientists at MIT gave regular plant cells characteristics of stem cells. They took cells from the leaves of the Common Zinnia (Zinnia Elegans), a blooming plant, and kept them in a liquid medium for a few days. The researchers next used a gel-based media that was enhanced with nutrients and hormones to treat the plant cells.
The cells eventually produced new plant cells. The scientists also discovered that they could modify the physical and mechanical characteristics of the developing cells by altering the hormone levels in the gel medium. Plant material with high hormone concentrations stiffened during the testing.
“Hormones have a role in the development of your cells and the emergence of specific features in the human body. The responses of the plant cells can also be altered by altering the hormone concentrations in the nutrient broth. Ashley Beckwith, the main researcher, explained the function of hormones in plant cell proliferation. “We can elicit really big changes in terms of the physical results just by changing these tiny chemical quantities,” Beckwith stated.
Humans destroy 15 billion trees annually. Numerous climate change-related issues that our world is currently experiencing can be directly attributed to this huge deforestation. If it works, lab-grown wood may be able to help us permanently end deforestation. Let’s hope that this soon comes to pass.