Carbon Fiber Noodles Could Save a Building From an Earthquake

Seismic retrofitting is a major endeavor that requires bracing and bolting an older building to its foundation so it doesn't shake apart in an earthquake. But depending on a building's age and what materials it's made of, a traditional retrofit has the potential to destroy a structure in a different way--aesthetically. A Japanese company believes strings of carbon fiber could solve this problem, so it wrapped them around its headquarters to demonstrate how this might work.