A research team led by the University of the Basque Country (EHU), together with Wuhan University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), was inspired by naturally occurring processes that give rise to fossilized wood (known as ancient buried wood), to develop a wood material that offers remarkable structural performance (termed as "BioStrong Wood" by the authors). Using the adequate combination of mechanical, chemical and biological treatments, it has been possible to modify the internal structure of the wood, achieving a level of mechanical resistance that exceeds that of stainless steel.