{"id":22940,"date":"2017-12-29T15:32:13","date_gmt":"2017-12-29T20:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=22940"},"modified":"2022-03-16T12:17:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T16:17:10","slug":"mit-glow-in-the-dark-plants-light-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/mit-glow-in-the-dark-plants-light-source\/","title":{"rendered":"MIT\u2019s Glow-in-the-Dark Plants Could Be Our Light Source Someday"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIT researchers have successfully engineered <\/span>plants that glow in the dark<\/span><\/a> by embedding the leaves with specialized nanoparticles. <\/span><\/p>\n

This new technology, the researchers believe, could be optimized and lead to plants being our sources of light. So, one day we won\u2019t be needing a desk lamp or streetlights. Instead, we could be reading by the side of a glowing plant and taking walks on pathways illuminated by glowing trees.<\/span><\/p>\n

The study is <\/span>published<\/span><\/a> in NANO Letters.<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers have already been able to induce a watercress plant to give off dim light for almost four hours. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe vision is to make a plant that will function as a lamp that you don\u2019t have to plug in,\u201d said MIT postdoc Seon-Yeong Kwak, the lead author on the study. \u201cThe light is ultimately powered by the energy metabolism of the plant itself.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Plant nanobionics is a new research area pioneered by <\/span>Michael Strano<\/span><\/a>, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and the senior author of the study, and his team. Their overarching goal is to engineer <\/span>plants that can perform many of the functions currently carried out by electrical devices. <\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers have previously used plant nanobionics to create plants that <\/span>detect explosives <\/span><\/a>and <\/span>monitor drought conditions<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since lighting accounts for nearly 20 percent of worldwide energy consumption, the researchers deem lighting to be a necessary new target for plant nanobionics to tackle. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlants can self-repair, they have their own energy, and they are already adapted to the outdoor environment,\u201d Strano said in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

We think this is an idea whose time has come. It\u2019s a perfect problem for plant nanobionics.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The researchers used three components to create their glowing plants: luciferase, an enzyme that causes fireflies to glow; luciferin, a molecule to which luciferase reacts and causes it to emit light; and coenzyme A, a molecule that eliminates a reaction by-product that can inhibit luciferase activity, so the process moves smoothly. <\/span><\/p>\n

Each component has its own nanoparticle carrier, which differs from one another in type and size, and is designed to ensure that the component gets to the right part of the plant and does not reach toxic levels. These nanoparticles are made of materials that have been classified as \u201cgenerally regarded as safe\u201d by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo create nanobionic light-emitting plants, plants were submerged in a pressurized chamber containing a nanoparticle suspension, allowing the particles to enter the leaves through tiny pores called stomata,\u201d said Kwak. <\/span><\/p>\n