Ancient Roman Manufacturing Technique Found by Researchers Could Help Create Self-Healing Concrete: Study

Actors dressed as maids of ancient Rome march in front of the Coliseum in a commemorative parade during festivities marking the 2,766th anniversary of the founding of Rome on April 21, 2013, in Rome, Italy. Giorgio Cosulich/Getty Images

A group of researchers from MIT, Harvard University, and facilities in Italy and Switzerland has made significant progress in uncovering ancient concrete-manufacturing processes that included numerous crucial self-healing features.

The findings were reported in Science Advances in an article co-authored by MIT professor of civil and environmental engineering Admir Masic, former doctoral student Linda Seymour, and four others.