Researchers Develop Glowing Plants That Can Someday Replace Reading Lamps
Glowing plants could soon provide relaxing bedside illumination for a bit of night reading, as MIT engineers made a milestone progress in getting watercress plants to give out a soothing glow for a few hours.
"The vision is to make a plant that will function as a desk lamp — a lamp that you don't have to plug in. The light is ultimately powered by the energy metabolism of the plant itself," Michael Strano, Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and a senior author of the study, said via the university's news update last Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Researchers were able to induce a bunch of watercress plants to give off a dim light, for now, which is barely enough to light a portion of a book, for nearly four hours. They were able to achieve this "critical first step" by adding special nanoparticles into the leaves of the plants.
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These nanoparticles were small packages containing the enzyme luciferase, a chemical that allows fireflies to give off their distinctive glow. The MIT researchers combined the enzyme with another substance called coenzyme A to enhance the reaction.
The research team hopes that one day, these plants will become bright enough to contribute to the lighting setups of homes and offices everywhere, as ZDNet notes.
It's not just all watercress, either. The team has also reported success with other plant species including arugula, kale and spinach. Small indoor plants could soon provide low-intensity lighting, but the researchers are also looking to something a bit bigger.
Trees embedded with the special particles, for example, could provide a very attractive and self-sustaining alternative to street lamps. "Plants can self-repair, they have their own energy, and they are already adapted to the outdoor environment," Strano noted.
"We think this is an idea whose time has come. It's a perfect problem for plant nanobionics," he added.
The video below shows the results of the study, which is now published in the Nano Letters journal.
