Gone are the days of the rickety old, wooden bridges that still linger in some areas of the country. Nowadays most bridges are made of steel, and sometimes concrete. But an innovative Chinese professor, Yan Xiao, who works at the University of Southern California and at Hunan University in China, recently conducted an experiment by building a 10-meter long bridge with horizontal beams of bamboo - the world's first bamboo bridge.

Xiao believes bamboo beams could work for bridges up to 30 meters long, making them a viable choice for pedestrian overpasses or highway bridges. It was strong enough to carry a 16-ton truck, and based on structural testing, could support even more weight.

Using prefabricated beams, it took a team of eight workers one week to assemble the bridge, requiring no heavy construction equipment and thus eliminating the fuel for that equipment. Bamboo is pound-for-pound stronger than steel when stretched, and is more environmentally friendly than concrete or steel. As long as it is harvested when it is fully mature, it can be cut down like grass, leaving the roots still intact, and it soaks up carbon dioxide as it grows. I don't know how long bamboo bridges would last or withstand various temperatures and climates, but this seems like a great use for a readily available and sustainable product.