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Roman concrete still can't be replicated.
92,651 views • 1 year ago •via X (Twitter)
11 Comments

Volcanic ash in the mortar and clay is the secret. These days it only has to last the warranty period. You're welcome.

Why it was cheap and easy for Berkeley and Chinese researchers to mimic the capabilities of OpenAI’s reasoning model.

and the light bulb never used to burn out… but ya can’t make as much money off of things that last forever.

They used pigs blood in there concrete

They mixed seawater in, it made their concrete self healing. A crack would expose uncured lime to water, the water would cause the reactions, and it would heal itself.

The Romans cracked a code we’re still marveling at: self-healing concrete. They mixed seawater, lye (from burnt limestone), and crushed rock—volcanic ash like pumice or granite. The magic? A precise lime concentration. When water seeped in, instead of cracking, the mix reacted. The lime and seawater formed calcium-aluminum-silicate-hydrate (C-A-S-H), a crystal that filled gaps, hardening over time. Modern tests show Roman harbor walls—submerged for centuries—are tougher now than when built. Our Portland cement crumbles in decades; their stuff heals itself. Next time you see an ancient pier still standing, thank chemistry and Roman ingenuity. #History #Engineering #Science

One of the key differences is sea water Somehow when Roman concrete gets wet it fixes itself

yeah right, they just want to make crappy concrete you have to replace every 50 years like its some amazing plan.

Well not just that I think they made concrete a little different back then they used hummus in their concrete not sand like what we use there was a lot different materials back then you're right about that

perhaps they heated it first and as it cooled it set into something indestructible???

Didn't they use some volcanic compound for it? Then it would never be replicated if that compound is gone

