Every week my column gets printed on paper. Sometimes I use paper to dry my paws. Or clean up after I use the litterbox. I asked my friend Xiuyu Wang who invented paper – and why. He ’s at Washington ...

Paper is an everyday object we often take for granted, yet it holds an extraordinary history that spans thousands of years. From its early origins in ancient civilisations to its modern forms used in ...

Before paper was invented, wood, bamboo, stones, papyrus and even silk were all used to capture history. Bamboo and stones were heavy, and silk and papyrus were too expensive for everyday use. In ...