It took more than money and man-power to lay the transatlantic cable. Gutta-percha, a natural plastic extracted from trees in Southeast Asia, sparked a craze in Victorian England, leading to its use ...

Few materials are as misunderstood, or misidentified as often, as gutta-percha. Pick up a union case in any antiques shop, and odds are good the tag will say "gutta-percha." Wrong. Most likely the ...