WASHINGTON - Replacing street lights with trees that glow? It's possible.
We're all familiar with fireflies that glow in the dark. Now scientists say the same bioluminescent genes could be introduced into plants and trees. That means if more lights are needed in a particular area, they could simply be grown.
A team of researchers at Cambridge University is working on the concept by inserting modified genes into a sample of E. coli bacteria. They say they were able to produce a range of colors and create a light that was bright enough to read by.
So far they haven't actually produced a glowing tree, but they have come up with a set of parts that would allow future researchers to use bioluminescence more effectively.
The group's research was presented at the International Genetically Engineered Machines competition at MIT.
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