He says synthetic rubber cannot be used, as there is a strong tradition of using natural rubber.

ECONOMIST: Sports anthropology

Because natural rubber is now scarce in Mexico, and the process of making a ball takes about 30 hours, the supply of balls is constraining the spread of the game.

ECONOMIST: Sports anthropology

The other amazing thing about this verdant and unique patch of India, rich in pepper, natural rubber, coconut, tea, coffee, cashews, and spices, is its bucolic backwater network of lagoons and canals.

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The plastination process involves replacing the natural body fluids with synthetic materials such as silicone rubber, epoxy resin or polyester.

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The company, which currently gets most of its rubber from a plantation in Liberia, is also exploring other natural materials for producing the raw material for tires, including Russian dandelions and a native Southeast bush called guayule.

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