Glowing Trees Could Replace Street Lights

[Mergie Master]

Trees Infused With Glowing Nanoparticles Could Replace Streetlights


Someday, This Tree Could Be Producing Its Own Light

Taiwanese researchers have come up with the elegant idea of replacing streetlights with trees, by implanting their leaves with gold nanoparticles. This causes the leaves to give off a red glow, lighting the road for passersby without the need for electric power. This ingenious triple threat of an idea could simultaneously reduce carbon emissions, cut electricity costs and reduce light pollution, without sacrificing the safety that streetlights bring.

As many good things do, this discovery came about by accident when the researchers were trying to create lighting as efficient as LEDs without using the toxic, expensive phosphor powder that LEDs rely on. The gold nanoparticles, shaped like sea urchins, put into the leaves of Bacopa caroliniana plants cause chlorophyll to produce the reddish luminescence.

In an added bonus, the luminescence will cause the leaves’ chloroplasts to photosynthesize, which will result in more carbon being captured from the air while the streets are lit. The next steps are to improve the efficiency of the bioluminescence and apply the technology to other biomolecules.

[BOGSTER]

now thats cool.

[Mergie Master]

Yeah as long as it doesn't spread to the woods. If something like this got "loose" and spread into the wild it would be an ecological disaster the likes of which we've never seen. I can just imagine how bad something like this would upset the balance of nature. A lot of animals and even some plants require darkness to survive and reproduce. Just think how badly owls alone would be affected, not to mention frogs, bats, etc.

[BrowningGold]

Might be a good idea to follow this and research it heavily....could make someone a lot of $$$$$ if it pans out and is executed by a public company

[Turd Ferguson]

what about when winter comes and the trees shed their leaves?

[BrowningGold]

Good point Turd...they need to start testing this on evergreen trees