"University students might soon have something other than black-light posters to brighten their dorm rooms. Researchers have created glow-in-the-dark plants by injecting succulents with materials similar to those that make the posters light up. The fleshy plants shine as brightly as a night light, and can be made to do so in a wide variety of colours a first for glowing houseplants, according to the team. The researchers, led by Xuejie Zhang,"
"The idea of making glowing plants has captivated scientists since the late 1980s, when researchers made the first bioluminescent plant by inserting a gene from a firefly (Photinus pyralis) into a type of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). This work laid the foundation for the first genetically engineered luminescent houseplant to come on the market in the United States, last year. The biotechnology firm Light Bio in Sun Valley, Idaho, sells the petunia (Petunia hybrida),"
Succulents were injected with phosphor particles that absorb light at one wavelength, store energy, and slowly re-emit it at another wavelength for hours. The injected plants glow as brightly as a night light and can display a wide variety of colours. Phosphor materials are composed of strontium and aluminium doped with other metals to tune emission colours. Glowing via injected phosphors differs from genetically encoded bioluminescence, which relies on chemical reactions inside cells. A patent application has been filed and decorative installations and living lighting are suggested as potential applications.
Read at www.nature.com
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