Researchers in Saudi Arabia have figured out how to turn date pits into artificial bones.
Sali Al-Harbi, a young researcher from Al Qassim, the kingdom’s date heartland, discovered that the pits share enough in common with human bone — in terms of calcium, structure, and density — that they could plausibly be used in fracture repair and reconstruction. This is part of a broader push by the kingdom to build a homegrown biomedical research industry, with R&D spending jumping 30% to 25 billion riyals ($7.86 billion) in 2024.
To test the date idea, Al-Harbi tried it on rabbits, and early results were encouraging. While the study didn’t disclose animal safety details, it’s safe to assume that some bunnies were hurt in the process.