Scientists Create Petrified Wood in Days

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050125/ap_on_sc/petrified_wood&e=3

"Researchers at a national science laboratory in south-central Washington have found a way to achieve in days what takes Mother Nature millions of years ? converting wood to mineral."

Not a reversal of evolution by any means. You can't change the C(14) date this way. Still interesting, I think. Man can do what was once attributed to a deity. We now have synthetic "fossils". Is synthetic life far behind?

Petrified wood is not silicon carbide, it is solution-deposited silica or apatite. Silicon carbide from rice hulls is SOP - just heat white hot out of contact with air. Dicing wood into 1/2" cubes is insane unless you are very fond of sawdust.

Making porous stuff from biological precursors is old hat. Heat coral with ammonium phosphate and get bone surrogate. Nice for human implants when the recipient has no useful bone to spare.

Grantology.