To create a new bioink, Gatenholm's team mixed polysaccharides from brown algae and tiny
cellulose fibrils from wood or made by bacteria, as well as human chondrocytes, which are cells that build up cartilage.
The strong covalent and H - bonds within and among the
cellulose molecules and
fibrils are able to resist high tensile stresses, which is why people have used wood as a building material throughout history.