Greening The Night (& Our Light) With Genetically Tweaked Bioluminescent Trees

Mother Nature is responsible for some pretty amazing sights, but there is nothing that brings out more of the wonder and childlike innocence in all of us than fixing our gaze on a bioluminescent object such as a mushroom, seaworm, jellyfish or insect. Like moths drawn to a flame, we are instinctually enamored with the sight of anything that glows and if we're able, we can't help but extend our hands to touch and examine these ethereal mysteries at greater length. Of course, most of the time, photos or a simple jar of glow bugs have to suffice because while it can be a terrestrial phenomenon, many of the greatest examples of bioluminescence occur in the ocean. However, whether by land, air or sea, hundreds of species experience a biochemical enzymatic process that triggers the generation of cold light (aka a glowing sensation).

Ever wonder how that glowing effect transpires? Simply put, an organic molecule called luciferin is oxidized along with oxygen & the enzyme luciferase -- and voila, a bioluminescent effect is generated. Detectable in diverse colors of the light spectrum, it actually serves such practical functions as being a method of night time communication, defense, mating, a food lure and camouflage for assorted species in the wild kingdom. Now, this is where it gets even more interesting and a bit sci-fi-y. Genetic engineers decided to cross the common firefly bioluminescent gene with a tobacco plant back in the 80s, yielding a glow-in-the-dark leafy Frankenstein that could purportedly help them to better understand how genes and cells play out their various functions. Naturally, that paved the way for all sorts of genetic tweakage in the ensuing years (cats, mice, marmosets, pigs, and 2009's first glowing puppy come to mind), but aside from being kind of novel, it hasn't been translated into a practical application other than studying genes and diseases.

Or maybe, just maybe we're on the verge of a very new, very green technology after all. Designer Audrey Richard-Laurent, via the top prize winning Design Academy entry on Newzy.com, proposes furthering society's green living efforts by creating glow-in-the-dark city lights. No, not the iron and glass versions. Since tobacco can glow in the dark with the right genetic adjustment, it makes perfect sense that a bioluminescent effect might be applied to prominent landscaping materials such as bushes and trees. Then, rather than continuing to use old fashioned streetlights which draw unnecessary power from the grid, we could simply rely on our friendly engineered shrubbery to illuminate our paths every evening. While it may seem like an outlandish idea, it appears to be quite doable -- Edward A. Quinto from the International Society for Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence already transformed a common Christmas tree into a glowing spectacle back in 2007 utilizing squid luciferin. But could this open up a new can of worms?

In theory, this form of sustainable light could become the green energy savior that we're all looking for. Just imagine the vast amount of power that we could save merely by relying on CO2 torching trees to illuminate our evening skies. Aesthetically speaking, it would surely be popular and create a magical luminescent kingdom no matter the city or locale. On the flip side, we've learned through many trials (and repeated errors) that messing with Mother Nature can often yield many messy and very unfortunate results. Might introducing bioluminescent trees into our natural environment launch an entirely new set of scary eco-consequences? What are your thoughts?