In Massachusetts, scientists at MIT have created plants that produce light by infusing them with firefly enzymes.
“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,” said Michael Strano, one of the author of the work.
The team used plant nanobionics to infuse watercress with nanoparticles containing luciferase and luciferin, which together create bioluminescence in fireflies, copepods, and jellyfish. They also infused the nanoparticles with co-enzyme A, which removes an inhibiting byproduct of the reaction between luciferase and luciferin.
Though the plants did not generate much light and glowed for just three and a half hours, the researchers hope the technique could one day reduce electricity use for lighting.
“Our target is to perform one treatment when the plant is a seedling or a mature plant, and have it last for the lifetime of the plant,” Strano says. “Our work very seriously opens up the doorway to streetlamps that are nothing but treated trees, and to indirect lighting around homes.”
The work was published in a recent issue of Nano Letters. The team had previously used plant nanobionics to generate plants that can detect explosives or monitor droughts.