Building standards conceived with earthquakes in mind are a matter of course in Japan. But in many other countries, quakes can cause major damage and loss of life because buildings often collapse, burying people beneath them.Under the auspices of the European Union, civil engineers in Karlsruhe, Germany, have developed a technology to stabilize even crumbling walls. They use special fiber mats that can be applied just like wallpaper. These mats then hold the structures together, even if they are already cracked. Initial tests in India and Italy show that there is far more to wall-coverings than making a room look nice.