Imagine this: the sun is setting
and it’s about time for the streetlights to light up, one by one, bright bulbs casting
yellow circles of light on the dark sidewalk below. However, as evening settles
in, it is not the dirty electric bulbs that illuminate the street; instead, a
ghostly blue light fills in the dark crevices, giving the street a magical
aura. In certain places, the captivating cave-like glow is replaced by a soft
golden light that radiates from above. The previously dull street is
transformed into something out of a dream.
Recently, students at Cambridge University
have discovered a way to insert the bioluminescent genetics found in fireflies
into other organisms. The first organism that went through this procedure was a
tobacco plant. Not only did the students successfully make the plant glow, but also
modified the bioluminescent genetics so that the produced light was bright
enough to read by. An idea has been proposed to do the same with trees in order
to replace streetlights, and although the research required to do so would be
fairly expensive, the result could potentially reduce the amount of money spent
on electricity as well as the human impact on the environment.
Taiwanese researchers have come up
with a similar idea. Their “living streetlights” are made using gold nanoparticles.
The nanoparticles are inserted in the leaves of the tree, causing the tree to
give off a bright reddish glow which could be used in place of streetlights to
light the sidewalks at night. Not only do the nanoparticles provide light
without electricity, but they also cause the trees to photosynthesize while
they are lit which removes CO2 from the air. The expenses for this project
however are extremely high, as gold nanoparticles are made from real gold which
is very expensive. High prices set aside, these living lights are a potential
replacement for common streetlights that are used today.
Bioluminescent trees illuminate the street
photo:http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827885.000-glowing-trees-could-light-up-city-streets.html
A bioluminescent christmas tree
photo: http://www.isbc.unibo.it/Files/IM_013.htm
a genetically engineered bioluminescent tobacco plant
photo: http://www.sciencebuzz.org/museum/object/2008_07_plants/dead
Gold nanoparticlesphoto: http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/gold-is-metal.html courtesy of Georgia tech
Sources:
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