On Guayule
A less expedient — yet promising — source of natural latex.
Rubber
A More Fun Ride
Jan Heine on the physics of pneumatic tires, the rise of gravel cycling, and his role in the bike industry.
Cars.
Since the introduction of the Model T, the rubber industry has evolved in tandem with the automobile industry – and American car culture.
On Pneumatic Tires.
Pneumatic tires were invented (and then promptly forgotten) in 1846. Then, they became perhaps the quintessential twentieth-century transportation technology.
On Hevea.
How the Brazilian rubber tree made Manaus – and then left it behind.
On Naphtha
How naphtha -- one of the first fossil fuel derivatives ever made -- played a key role in the commercialization of rubber.