Wood is becoming an increasingly popular building material, but the timber is harvested mainly just from the long, straight trunks of trees. Aiming to reduce waste, an MIT team has developed a method ...

Tulip trees have been around for millions of years, but a new analysis of their structure has revealed a previously unknown type of wood. The finding could explain why the trees are great at ...

The wood that provides the structural basis of trees is non-living, i.e. a dead material, but it is surrounded by living material that grows, regenerates and transports fluid and nutrients around the ...

Scientists who were assessing the structure of different types of wood at the microscopic level have discovered a totally new type of wood. This wood is part of tulip trees, which are relatives of ...

Using simple chemical processes, Hu’s lab partially washes away lignin—the polymer that holds cellulose fibers in wood together—and exploits the natural complexity of wood’s nanostructure. Hu licensed ...