Yakisugi is a traditional Japanese method that involves charring the surface of wood. This process has gained traction in the field of bioarchitecture due to its capability to shield the wood from water, fire, insects, and fungi, thus extending its durability. Originating in the 17th and 18th centuries, Yakisugi's techniques were first documented during this period. Interestingly, a recent paper published in Zenodo suggests that Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian Renaissance polymath, wrote about the protective attributes of wood charring over 100 years earlier.
Leonardo's extensive notebooks, comprising over 13,000 pages, contain numerous inventions and insights presaging modern technology. Although only about a third of these pages have survived, they reveal concepts such as flying machines, bicycles, and an 'unsinkable' double-hulled ship. In the Codex Atlanticus from 1490, Leonardo even speculated about constructing a telescope, with his description of 'making glasses to see the moon enlarged' anticipating the actual invention by a century.
In 2003, Alessandro Vezzosi, director of Italy’s Museo Ideale, discovered unexpected recipes for curious mixtures in Leonardo's notes. Upon experimenting with these recipes, Vezzosi created a substance reminiscent of Bakelite, a synthetic plastic popular in the early 20th century, suggesting that Leonardo may have been the pioneer in creating the first manmade plastic.
Additionally, Leonardo's notebooks reveal meticulous notes from his various anatomical studies. His detailed drawings of the human heart, in particular, indicated an understanding of how heart valves function in regulating blood flow, predating William Harvey's circulatory discoveries by 150 years. This profound insight was later utilized by British heart surgeon Francis Wells in 2005, contributing to the development of a novel procedure to repair heart damage, further evidenced by Wells' book, The Heart of Leonardo.