The chicle boom continued up until the Great Depression of the 1930s when it collapsed as a result of the general economic malaise and the development of synthetic substitutes for chewing gum base. (ambergrisCaye.com)
While severity varies, bone defects and injuries are currently treated with bone grafts, taken either from another part of the patient's body or a donor bone bank, or with synthetic substitutes. (sciencedaily.com)
In August researchers announced the creation of a microscopic device that can make an electrical connection to an individual neuron, an invention that might one day lead to synthetic substitutes for damaged nerve cells. (discovermagazine.com)