2023-11-13 16:51:13
Glow in the dark, look like their unchanged relatives in the light. Image: Light Bio, Inc.
Why can’t plants actually glow and flash like fireflies and other living creatures? An American company wants to change that – and will soon bring a greenish glowing petunia onto the market.
More light – who doesn’t want that in this gray November? But it shouldn’t be bright indoors or outdoors; that would be uncomfortable and use up a lot of energy. A natural, environmentally friendly, all-round “good light” would be ideal.
Anyone who lives in the USA can count themselves lucky. Such a light will soon come onto the market there. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Ministry of Agriculture there has granted the company Light Bio an approval for a bright petunia. The scientists implanted a gene into the ornamental plant. Biochemical processes now take place in it, which are known from nature as bioluminescence. And although the leaves, stems and flowers of petunias glow greenish in the dark, they are indistinguishable from conventional petunias in the light. In addition, as the regulatory authorities confirm, these petunias are harmless from an environmental point of view. According to officials, they do not pose a threat to other plants or insects. The glowing plants should be available for purchase in spring 2024.
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