Glowing Plants created by Scientists

Plants that glow as bright as a conventional lamp could one day illuminate our streets and homes.

Attempts to create luminous plants have been going on for decades. In Taiwan two years ago a group of scientists enjoyed limited success by implanting glowing gold nanoparticles in to a species of aquatic plant. Another team at the State University of New York also managed to make a plant glow, however neither attempt produced the necessary luminosity to replace conventional lighting.

Now however three researchers working on a new endeavour known as the "Glowing Plant project" are hoping to improve on previous experiments by employing improved DNA sequencing and printing. The team is using a protein called luciferase which can be broken down to generate light in a process that is so efficient that it produces hardly any heat at all.