Despite having been introduced to the Europeans from the 15th century, the practical and industrial applications of natural rubber were not forthcoming for some time. The first scientific paper on rubber was not written until 1751 by the French scientist Charles de la Condamine after he returned from his expedition in Peru. Over time many […]

The earliest archaeological use of natural latex dates back to the Olmec culture (2,500 to 400 BCE), a major Mesoamerican civilisation that occupied the present-day tropical lowlands of Mexico. The indigenous population made balls using the primitive rubber harvested from the latex-producing tree, Castilla elastica, also known as the Panama rubber tree. There is strong […]