We may one day be reading by the light of a houseplant

This is cool..

Imagine if all our lighting was powered by plants....! I have always longed to have a home covered in bioluminescent plants/fungi.. It would be so beautiful at night. I dislike most of the light bulbs we have these days. The light they give off seems too harsh for mine eyes...

Tired of filling your house with boring old ficus plants and ferns for a little greenery? You're in luck, because you could soon be able to bring home your own luminescent plant. No, it isn't the result of some kind of nuclear accident. The plants are engineered by the biotechnology company Bioglow and were first announced in 2010 when molecular biologist Alexander Krichevsky et al. published the results in PLOS One. Since that initial report, the team has been working to refine the technique and get the plants growing brighter.

Bioluminescence can be found in a variety of organisms, including certain jellyfish, bacteria, and insects. These creatures use their natural glow for many reasons, including scaring off predators or attracting prey. For modern scientists, bioluminescence is used a standard marker used in biological research, as it gives scientists a very clear confirmation that the genetic modification was successful. Now, plants that are genetically engineered to be bioluminescent will be available to the public as a novelty, though it could have future implications as a truly–ahem–green source of energy.

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Bioglow

However because it takes so much out of the plant. The poor thing only has a life span of 3/4 months.. But Bioglow are assuring us that they will be in their laboratories tinkering away til they lengthen the life span and brighten the light... Bioglow are hoping that maybe one day these plants may possibly provide a natural source of light. Saving energy, money and the planet...!

Peace
Fluff

There we go again playing in natures source code again, this is just masturbation. Look what I can do. I am so smart! Lets reconfigure nature to suit only OUR needs, us important MAN. Let's just forget that there is a whole ecosystem that depends on each others specific ways of doing things to survive, that they are in a balance and depend on each other like links in a chain. Lets patent nature and make sure that corporations control it.

I just can't help but think that we are heading down a dangerous road and some want to see how far they can go. Makes me angry.

My daughter bought a couple of glowing fish. They are engineered to be sterile. Nobody told the fish this. My daughter now has a lot of glowing fish.

Neat.S&F

Realistically though how bright do they expect these plants to glow? reading under low light conditions isn't that fun. Could just bio-engineer us to be able to see in the dark better.pesky laws... non human life seems to get all the fun gene manipulation while we just stay normal.

reply to post by bitsforbytes


When technology is used as a weapon to enslave or murder, when food is poisoned, then there is a rightful reason to suggest that some things are being done for the wrong reasons and are in the wrong hands. However, that being said, there is nothing new under the sun. We're not inventing what hasn't already been done, and its there, to be utilized, the mind to grasp theories and ideas and to create. When one is being responsible and developing and learning more science in a positive way, there is nothing wrong with this, its called progression and is exactly what the human race is supposed to be doing. Not held back by renegades.

fluff007

However because it takes so much out of the plant. The poor thing only has a life span of 3/4 months.. But Bioglow are assuring us that they will be in their laboratories tinkering away til they lengthen the life span and brighten the light... Bioglow are hoping that maybe one day these plants may possibly provide a natural source of light. Saving energy, money and the planet...!

Peace
Fluff

How is it a natural source of light when they are genetically designed?

rickymouse
My daughter bought a couple of glowing fish. They are engineered to be sterile. Nobody told the fish this. My daughter now has a lot of glowing fish.

Thanks!! LOL.. That cracked me up.. er.. what are these fish called?

Love the plant Op! I hope they pull this off, i'd love to have enough to give me great light all around the house.

I love orchids and other exotic plants. My favorite is the Blue Mystique, " The world’s first blue Phalaenopsis orchid ". They are an awesome shade of blue and also made by man. They are made by a process that in essence dies white orchids so they wont bud new blue flowers, they will be white.

JohnPhoenix

rickymouse
My daughter bought a couple of glowing fish. They are engineered to be sterile. Nobody told the fish this. My daughter now has a lot of glowing fish.

Thanks!! LOL.. That cracked me up.. er.. what are these fish called?

Love the plant Op! I hope they pull this off, i'd love to have enough to give me great light all around the house.

I love orchids and other exotic plants. My favorite is the Blue Mystique, " The world’s first blue Phalaenopsis orchid ". They are an awesome shade of blue and also made by man. They are made by a process that in essence dies white orchids so they wont bud new blue flowers, they will be white.

I don't know the name of them, they were invented and patented somewhere around Taiwan or Japan.

reply to post by missvicky

How is it a natural source of light when they are genetically designed?

The part that they will be genetically engineering will be to lengthen the life span of the plant and also its brightness.

There are plants, animals and fungi throughout the world that are naturally bioluminescent. Why not use that to create a natural light source even when they have to tweak and tune the plant..? Is it not better than using nuclear power stations, oil and coal stations for electricity which gives us light...?

I am not a fan of genetically engineered things. However if it means that we can stop using electricity to light our houses than in my eyes that is good. The less resources we pillage and rape from our planet the better.

A plant is natural is it not...? The genes inside may have been tinkered with. But nature created that plant... Nature will sustain that plant.

reply to post by SynchronousSnake

Realistically though how bright do they expect these plants to glow? reading under low light conditions isn't that fun. Could just bio-engineer us to be able to see in the dark better.pesky laws... non human life seems to get all the fun gene manipulation while we just stay normal.

Lol.....!

Well they are currently trying to lengthen the plants life span and its brightness. Maybe one day they will live longer and be brighter. It would truly be an incredible break through if this happens.

I do not think that the plants are that bright at the moment. But given time they may well be...

Aye what a shame... Do we deserve things like that after all the damage we have done to our home...?

reply to post by bitsforbytes


I am not a fan of the way they mess around with nature. However if it means a more sustainable and green way of living then ok. How much longer til our resources that give us electricity and energy run out..?

What will be left for future generations. Nothing...

We seriously need to start caring for our planet better. And if that means having genetically engineered plants that create light then so be it. Unless TPTB decide to bee nice and release Tesla's works on free energy. Then what other choices do we have....?

I am not pro GM or GE. But if it helps even a little bit is it not a small step in the right direction...?

Come to think of it I do not see why they have not used a plant/fungi that is already a naturally bioluminescent specimen. That would be easier and better I would imagine.

Imagine your house like this...

Located in Waitomo on the North Island of New Zealand are magnificently illuminated caves. These caves are illuminated by millions of Glowworms, only indigenous to the nation of New Zealand. Within these caves is a river that flows through entirely through it, and a central Glowworm Grotto where the majority of the luminescent worms live.

sites.psu.edu...

www.scientificamerican.com...

reply to post by rickymouse


Holy smokes...! I had no idea these creatures were available for purchase.....!

reply to post by fluff007


I am one step ahead of you on this, i got myself a couple of glowing pigs. They smell bad but i don't have to pay for light-bulbs anymore

reply to post by fluff007


Hopefully these don't become invasive if some kid decides to let their pets free. I could see catching a fish with glowing Goa'uld eyes.

reply to post by wlasikiewicz




LOL...! Well pigs are actually pretty clean animals. But yes they do smell.. Got any pics....

reply to post by rickymouse


Ahh yes. There were some comments on the article website asking what would happen if these bioluminescent plants became invasive. I doubt they would be able to do that as being genetically engineered to glow for such a long time they would not be able to compete with native species...

One commenter put it quite well...

I appreciate that this is theoretically possible, but I think it underestimates the sheer brilliance of nature. The sophistication and subtlety required to make a plant outcompete others is, in general, far beyond our ability to engineer. Genes to make plants grow faster also make them more dependent on fertilizer. Genes to make them resistant to herbicides confer no advantage without that herbicide.

However, genes to make them *produce* pesticides and herbicides...well, those are worrying. This is a concern with the choice of gene, not with genetic modification in general. If they sold these plants with insect-resistance genes included, then that would be a bad move indeed. It would just have to mutate a little to disable the glow, and boom, you have a potentially invasive species.

So yeah, I agree, genetic modification must be treated with caution and restraint--but that shouldn't hold us back from responsible use.

(I did some quick research here:
link.springer.com...-1)

www.iflscience.com...

Not sure about those glowing fish though........!