Kickstarter Replaces Lights with Glowing Plants!

If you thought glowing plants were science fiction from Pandora... you're wrong! Scientists in San Francisco have created plants that glow brightly enough to light your home! Anthony chats with the creators to learn more about their enlightening work.
Read More:
Glowing Plants: Natural Lighting with no Electricity
www.kickstarter...
"Create GLOWING PLANTS using synthetic biology and Genome Compiler's software - the first step in creating sustainable natural lighting."
Glowing Plant
glowingplant.com/
"A blog dedicated to creating a glowing plant using synthetic biology and genome compiler"
Synthetic Biology Kickstarter Aims to Make Glowing Plants
boingboing.net/...
"We are using Synthetic Biology techniques and Genome Compiler's software to insert bioluminescence genes into Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant and member of the mustard family, to make a plant that visibly glows in the dark (it is inedible)."
The First Ever Synthetic Biology Kickstarter is About Growing 'Glowing Plants'
techcrunch.com/...
"Kickstarter might be better known for funding films and hardware projects, but it's now getting its first synthetic biology proposal."
Genome Compiler
www.genomecompi...
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[@ParallelPenguins]

Holy crap, a city full of glowing trees as street lamps would be freaking COOL!!! And to be able to change the lamps in my home to plants would be so great!! So long as my cat didn't eat them I'd be all for this!!

[@zanems1]

We should do this to a Christmas tree! less fires more glowing and awe. Shorten that electric bill too!

[@gcxred4kat9]

zanems... great idea!

[@lunaamore2713]

👍💡

[@thesilentone4024]

Ya but it will need the roots to do that or it will stop glowing after a couple days.

[@gameu360]

Glowing trees, glowing flowers, glowing rocks glowing animals. James Cameron would be proud.

[@javierflores-qq9xn]

soon we'll be living in a avatar jungle!

[@AMANYADAV-fo6py]

Yes sir,,,,,

[@tronintel2726]

We are selling bionicplants.com

[@blockchainmusic8697]

@Jacob Meynarez XD

[@anatolydyatlov963]

9 years later... nope

[@Perses-_-]

​@@anatolydyatlov963well now you can it's called the firefly petunia you can pre-order them now it only took 10 years lmao

[@The_Broken_Robot]

Id love to see a glow in the dark rose

[@Potatonater-it7gw]

do I have news for you

[@Perses-_-]

You can get glow in the dark petunias now they're called firefly petunias $30 shipping starts in april

[@svintx]

why not make glow in the dark grass?

[@iljahfeedoro8033]

Why not make GLOW IN THE DARK HUMANS?! :O

[@net28573]

Il Jah Feedoro Because some people want to sleep.

[@arodriguez339]

Il Jah Feedoro technically we already glow, just not on a visible level for us. They think other animals can see it, like dogs (maybe?).

[@alexandersteiner6070]

It would be hard to select for the gene over time. Like he said these plants wouldn't survive without human intervention. After a while I fell like transposons or mutations would just deactivate the gene, effectively stopping the glowing phenotype. Especially if it was a short living or annual grass.

[@svintx]

If we grow grass specifically because of the glowyness though

[@benfluke523]

Omg could u imagine having an Avatar Forest like Lighting system in your home? TAKE MY MONEY!

[@AnthonyTrifoglio]

Sooooo this was 7 years ago... where can I buy them?

[@Perses-_-]

You can now buy glow in the dark petunias they're called firefly petunias $30 plus $25 shipping they start shipping in April

[@laughingtigress9931]

I have always dreamed about luminescent plants. Love it!

[@Perses-_-]

You can buy some now called firefly petunias $30 plus $25 shipping they start shipping in spring

[@maxburton22]

I hadn't thought about whether or not the plant could exist and thrive without human intervention. That is actually really fucking important now that that guy mentioned it and I'm thinking about it.

[@Nick-li8ol]

i wonder if this would affect the insects that live on these plants

[@Akira_767]

I wouldn't suspect so, unless the bioluminescent protein is toxic to them which I don't think it is. Could be wrong though, research required.

[@jonsprivatelife]

I love how these guys are so keen on giving credit where it belongs, instead of taking it all for themselves like they could have.

[@hitsongsa]

Every park should glow in the dark!

[@aerowindwalker]

I want glowing cannabis. :3

[@DaveWhoa]

+Aero Windwalker well, i guess there is a market for BS like that! afterall some people seem to think purple weed is an indication of potency, but it's just an indication of presence of anthocyanins (which aren't cannabinoids, and - like green glowing bacterial shit - are not psychoactive!)

[@noahgraves65]

+Dave Smith Yeah but aesthetic is important, pretending it's not isn't viable.

[@brielov]

We all do buddy... we all do

[@vvmakovv2689]

Aero Windwalker why do you smoke weed? Just wondering.

[@7LLLLLL]

to make Os... and blow glow in the trees soon!, of course.

[@maxburton22]

I checked out their kickstarter when I saw Anthony's facebook post about it. I really liked this video because you pretty much addressed all the questions I had after learning about it. best video on here yet. keep up the good work guys.

[@ShadowDrakken]

And be kept awake all night by a light you can't turn off ;)

[@Dino-vf4ix]

Michael Frake there is also a theory that plants can feel and hear things... you will feel watched in the bathroom

[@wotever99ninynine]

Daniel just put a lid on it.. Ah, sorry the plant not you :)

[@ricksanchez5595]

You do realize that night time takes up more than half of all time.... When you turn 60 you've literally been awake for 30 years....

[@sausagepeels428]

If you live on street, yes.

[@uptorest]

dude stuck his name and email in a genome, ha

[@raggyrao6910]

Yeah... beats me too!

[@Nathan.Nguyen]

Wow seeing all of these advances makes me want to live forever to see how far we can go with technology.

[@DkKombo]

This kinda makes me want to play plants vs zombies now...

[@modestoca25]

Actually, bioluminescent plants DO exist in nature, there's algae that glows as well as some animals...

[@theGreaterAwareness]

His comment doesn't say that algae is a plant. He says there are plants. Then he says there is algae. Then he says there are some animals. Why is this so? He never uses correct sentence structure to say that the algae is an example of a plant. If his sentence DID mean what you think it means then that would mean he is saying animals are plants and clearly that is not so - therefore the algae is not using that grammar either. So, great advice about the Algae but your comment is an addition and not a correction - therefore you don't need to say 'Actually' because you are not correcting anything.

[@theGreaterAwareness]

You're fine. You're probably not overly critical like me but your comment focused on correcting rather than understanding. Afterall, there are 12 other people that read his sentence the same as you. I'm perhaps being a nuisance due to my lack of social skills and so with my intent on opening your awareness that he didn't actually make a mistake - I probably came across as an A'hole. That's my life story. Correcting people is fine, just be aware of the eternal pattern where we each help each other realize what we didn't / couldn't see from our previous perspective on reality. And I have Asperger's so that will answer your question as to why I wrote such a surprising comment. I am overly critical and I it's an endless obstacle for me to overcome that. I apologize if I came across as rude, I honestly don't mean to do that but my brain doesn't see the way I talk as rude and so that's why I get classed as disabled.

[@Jordan-vr7ip]

The only bio luminescence plant i know in nature are those mushrooms that glow.

[@TravisHoeffel]

Sick Dece mushrooms aren't plants. :D

[@deejeff8846]

Sick Dece I've seen the algae in corpus Christi at the beach at night

[@dalvoenriquescarpa]

They haven't created anything yet. Go to their website and all you can do is pre order the seeds. It is still a project.

[@MegaTrivial]

I hope they will fail. But, why do they lie about things like this?

[@dalvoenriquescarpa]

Yes!!!

[@Heroic_Chicken]

i want a glowing tree in my backyard just to piss off my neighbors

[@riverdragon757]

Please do NOT let these plants out into the wild because this could effect the ability for so many animals in the wild to camouflage and hide which could end catastrophically.

[@dradenmerenox7172]

just chill, the animals will just evolve to fit those conditions

[@dradenmerenox7172]

Pinkie Pie just chill, they will eventually adapt, and considering the fact that animals have been evolving faster lately, it won't take that long

[@jojodelacroix]

Draden Merenox They don't evolve fast enough to adapt to any of the other horrible things that humans do, not that this is horrible per say. I don't know how big of an impact these plants would have on the survivability of night time predators, but I do doubt that animals will be able to evolve to keep up with the problem.

[@Oskuu]

True, just like I said in my one comment, but better. :D

[@dradenmerenox7172]

John Edwards actually, I have seen a vid on how a certain type of swallow evolved shorter wingspans to dodge traffic on a highway. So... I'd say that if a species of animal can evolve that fast, then I predict that the animals effected by the plant will be able to evolve quick enough to avoid being harmed by it.

[@disposableutopia]

They did this with tobacco plants in the 80s, have been waiting for my glowing cannabis since

[@carpy1252]

was expecting footage of a plant lighting up a room!

[@uptorest]

this is why I want my masters in biology

[@chaosbeast43]

Were going to have a bright future :D

[@ExoticSpeedify]

Could also be a pain in the arse, because ya cant turn them off!.... just like kids.

[@quatschk0pfr.w.676]

They would only glow at night it wouldn't be any more annoying than street lamps.

[@Ink_Floyd]

Please let this become a reality!!

[@henrryhernandez3418]

Imagine a glowing spinach and lettuce salad. Now that would be interesting to try just for fun. Then you could eat in the dark while saving energy by having your lights off.

[@AdvancedSoul]

This would be extremely revolutionary! Street lamps being replaced by this, would not only save money from the electrical bills, but also, save the Atmosphere, quite a lot, as millions of new plants would be introduced, generating O2 for us, through Photosynthesis. :3

[@Ajtheartist111]

Sounds cool, BUT how much would this effect the plants ability to convert essentials into oxygen?

[@defeatSpace]

We need more people like you in our government.

[@RainbowThistles]

gah! I wish the kickstarter wasn't over! I want to grow a glowing plant :(

[@Perses-_-]

You can now buy glow in the dark petunias they're called firefly petunias $30 plus $25 shipping they start shipping in April

[@Perses-_-]

The company is called Light Bio

[@BrokenSofa]

What ever happened to this project?

[@ImpeccableWizard]

Not sure if it's them bud found on like Ebay or Amazon that you could bid on individual tobacco plants. Each plant had like it's own photo of how much it glowed and that seems unlikely to be ongoing for a scam, for so little money per plant, for such a long time without any bad reviews.. Getting actual glowing plants is easier... I was interested in getting a cheap low-glowing one to have next to my bed so that I could read a book or do some soduko instead of illuminating it with a 10+ old laptop sceen (It's not that bright anymore and gotten somewhat yellow-ish thu doesn't hurt my eyes in the dark).

[@serbanandrei7532]

i wonder the same thing

[@spectrum792]

Maybe they're done

[@Lemon_Planter]

They just uploaded videos of the gene gun method that they've been doing on their website. So, at the very least, they've moved passed the bacterium stage. They're getting closer, I guess that's the point I wanted to make. The plants will probably have to grow, mind you, after they perfect their method. So... soon-ish, I would expect.

[@Gibblegobblegoob]

Well this never went anywhere

[@bloopbloopy2893]

Yh 😂😂 probably just another scam

[@ChaosBW]

Make glowing duckweed! Duckweed is used in aquariums everywhere, it's cheap, easy to grow, fish love it, it's good for them, and movement benefits it's growth, meaning it will be glowing often!

[@7thjoker]

would glowing trees have an effect on birds that do sleep in those trees??? say messing up their day/ night sequence...because they sleep in the dark

[@directr4288]

7thjoker just gonna be trees in cities doe , might be best if they stop those plants from reproducing naturally so forests don't become glowy

[@ssosaking]

They see ultra violent light, which makes night time like fireworks in the sky. I don't think these trees will have a great effect on nesting birds

[@FerGalicia]

7thjoker I see bird making their nests right inside street lamps all the time so...

[@FerGalicia]

02b93fb.netsolhost.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/PUMA_Glasgow_C05.jpg

[@FerGalicia]

Yeah, probably.

[@Daffy711]

Discovery Channel must be glad to have you guys... ;)

[@SeanLumly]

This was a fantastic episode. I loved the length and the rich information. Keep things like this coming!

[@ssavemylife]

A century later, a huge greenish blue glowing forest, that would be so amazing...

[@Crusader-Ramos45]

Glowing plants, huh? That sounds totally revolutionary.

[@phonox]

From the FAQ on Kickstarter: " The main points are that temp should be around 22C (71F). Light should be bright but not direct sun, and less than 12 hours per day for the first 2 months." You should go ask them over at Kickstarter if you want a better answer.

[@subh1]

energy is not "produced" in plants. They are simply converted. The plants absorb sunlight, water & CO2, and store the energy in molecules as chemical energy (glucose, ATP, etc). When and as needed, those molecules are oxidised to give energy. Typically plants use that energy for vital processes (metabolism, growth, etc). But in this case part of the energy is being converted to light. So if the spaceship is able to get some type of energy source (like sunlight) your idea may work. Otherwise not.

[@xXdark3ndAng3lXx]

Can you imagine walking through a glowing forest at night? That'd be so cool

[@Aniket_dope]

I also got the same idea But 10 years later

[@TLSlimehunter]

this is the coolest shit ever. now make glowing mushrooms and my life is complete

[@YomsTheProducer]

I just got the firefly Petunia and it really glowsss

[@RoboticusMusic]

Thumbs up if you want to smoke glow in the dark weed.

[@Luigicat11]

Could a glowing plant photosynthesize using its own light?

[@ashleypascale9882]

No. That is not how bioluminescent plants work. Photosynthesis needs the energy from the sun to be absorbed. Cold light, as bioluminescence is, won't work because it doesn't hold enough energy. It's a different kind of light. --biology teacher in training.

[@Perses-_-]

​@@ashleypascale9882not to mention that would kinda be a perpetual motion machine

[@ojosLigeros]

:O whaaaaat! i had this idea too i swear! proposed this in my molecular biology class like 2 years ago, and my others classmates just told me what a was smoking. dosen´t matter i just had the idea but didn´t know how to do it haha. Cheers, you guys did it!

[@m1nhtyfresh]

I was thinking of the glowing forest from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. That would be so Awesome.

[@Macatho]

Question: Would you need to water all the plants with Luciferin? Question: What type of wattage would you expect from a large tree?

[@BlahBlahRainbowFish]

I've never been the best with biology so thanks for explaining!

[@deaderdeadbpu]

So, would these plants be able to reproduce with other glowing plants or are they one and done?

[@ICanRideMyBikeWithNoHandlebars]

I will have my garden filled with glowing plants

[@Perses-_-]

You can now buy glow in the dark petunias they're called firefly petunias $30 plus $25 shipping they start shipping in April the company is called Light Bio

[@Mujirama]

im going to be bioassistant and we are making glowing bakteria in the school , that is sooo great :D

[@jeremycatches9766]

He said something that sounded like "plant past" and it was the reason agrobacterium would be regulated.. Was that what he actually said and what does that mean and why is it regulated?

[@Badwater4560]

How might this mess with creatures that use bioluminescence to communicate or animals that normally hide implants?

[@anonymouscraftimperi]

The animals would just move to different plants that do not glow lol

[@NattaponPanrob]

Please use Electric Eel's DNA , for product Electric Tree.

[@johnarizona3820]

Effects on the plants ability to photosynthesize?

[@YamiZee]

Thats what I was thinking, but I honestly doubt there is any

[@RusticKey]

There should be none.

[@Xenvusnp]

turn on the light to turn the light off. also when have you had control over street lamps ?

[@DaffyDaffyDaffy33322]

Might I suggest you look into the laws of thermodynamics?

[@Shmangity]

The future is green, and bright :3, I would love to see cities lit up by trees for lamp posts, trees for light signals at intersections possibly? :3

[@GalenBanan]

I don't really understand one thing. It sounds like you take a plant and then make it glow. But plats consists of so many cells and this luminicens have to get into every cell to make the plant glow like that. Do they really take a plant and make it glow or do they take plantcells, insert the glow gene and then make the cell grow into a plant?

[@12369874186]

Many lights have a housing that directs light in a needed direction, and blocks light from direct viewing. A large tree may distribute light in every direction and blind drivers.

[@braxtondennis3312]

They aren't trying to make every plant in the world glow so this wouldn't be a problem

[@fumomofumosarum5893]

it's 2017. where are those plants now?

[@redacted6813]

When can I have this in my skin?

[@PandaMagicFTW]

This is awesome! They should put these plants everywhere :D

[@crazyassmotherpucker]

Can't wait for glowing weed. You can smoke in complete darkness!!

[@Empled]

I have always liked this concept, but what will all the bugs do I glow in the dark trees just fly around them hmmmm🤔

[@sztellanora]

It would be pretty crazy to suck out the glowing algae from a street lamp, but hey, if someone does it, he deserves to glow :D

[@juliam.v.warren4535]

That's what I'd like to know too. Sometimes I just need some darkness... to sleep at least.

[@jasper_ferrer]

interesting... but most algae need light to survive. and those lights would probably be more efficient than using the algae themselves as light. (some LED tech are getting crazy efficient now). and If i recall correctly the reaction needed to produce light with luciferase uses some oxygen as well.

[@Ramix09]

i want one RIGHT NOW

[@randywiggins1248]

So where can I buy ANY type of a living glowing plant?

[@AnthonyTrifoglio]

Right? It's only been 7 years...

[@Perses-_-]

You can now buy glow in the dark petunias they're called firefly petunias $30 plus $25 shipping they start shipping in April the company is called Light Bio

[@ziknik7795]

if the bioluminesence of the plant consumes more energy from the cells could they possibly figure out a way to insert genes that up the amount of energy produced by the plant and also this would be an interesting system to use im spaceships if the walls were coated in algae like this you would not only have light but you could also make algae that produced oxygen at the same time just a thought

[@stephencholvat]

So it would supply light, electricity, oxygen-CO2 cycles, and insulation!!!! :D you deserve your own kickstarter.

[@_Free_Thinker]

So... Where are the glowing plant lights now???

[@Perses-_-]

You can now buy glow in the dark petunias they're called firefly petunias $30 plus $25 shipping they start shipping in April the company is called Light Bio

[@selsuru]

Gotta comend the guy with the glowing plant shirt, he credits the people who's work helped his.

[@nemo9396]

because we can, because they could be a partial substitute to electricity requirements, much like biofuel

[@BannAnOnMe]

CANT STOP!!.. CLICKING

[@jjunit207]

Yes they would glow 24hrs, but dont get your hopes up. This wont look like a scene from avatar, the researchers who did these experiments before noted that it took their eye a couple minutes in a completely dark room before they saw their plants glow. ie) the glowing was very faint. These guys are probably going to try and express the lux operon as much as possible in these plants, meaning multple copies of the genes with the best possible promoters, but I think the glowing will still be faint.

[@Interpridol]

Only asking what if... The other day I found out that Wi-Fi lowers melatonin and serotonin levels (which are needed to avoid depression), you never hear of any health risks, only the "benefits". Ever tried to go to sleep at night and all you can hear is ringing in your ears..? You don't hear any health risks about TV because it's such a big influence, that sort of influence can drive people to do crazy things... You never hear about any of that, only what TV and internet tells you.

[@hinasakukimi]

would the trees produce enough light? like how are you sure that they won't just glow faintly

[@gcxred4kat9]

There are mushrooms that glow. Look up foxfire. Seems like they'd have been halfway there had they pursued that route.

[@Frankagator]

No seeds for the UK? (I know there would be a bunch of red tape to go through) Man I want glowing plants. Glowing tree lamposts sounds like a new genre of scifi and it is brilliant.

[@apriswajaya]

this sounds really cool

[@quatschk0pfr.w.676]

Imagine how magical it would be if street lamps would be replaced with glowing trees.

[@excelsior8712]

I was not expecting Anthony Cabrini to pop up! Anyone know the Emmy nominated Star Wars Show?

[@rukiddinbro]

Another benefit would be feeding them to cows so when you're on vacation in the countryside you don't risk stepping on the pile at night.

[@cjm1780]

My anthro prof a doctor of multiple anthro specialties said once that the problem with gene manipulation was that genes are multitasksers and we do not fully understand the consequences of manipulating them. I guess we are on a path to find out though ay?

[@Lemon_Planter]

It's exactly genetic modification. And how exactly would you know how it will 'end up'?

[@arbitraryname7273]

10 years later and you can buy Firefly Petuniras for $30. Amazing. :D

[@jjunit207]

already done. Look up GloFish on google. They are fish that express the protein GFP (green fluorescent protein). You shine a black light on them, they absorb a high frequency wavelength of light and emit a lower one (green color). Also did it with cats, dogs, mice, and pigs. Quick google image search will make you shyt bricks.

[@Perses-_-]

That is not bioluminescent

[@dylandubois-killoy5452]

What about in the winter when most trees lose leaves

[@TheWolfHowling]

What plant are they using? Because it would be great if it also produced something else useful like food or a biofuel feedstock

[@Dimlowuk]

I'm waiting for the glowing goldfish night light as in the big bang theory.

[@TheAnachronist]

Probably would glow 24 hours at first (hard to target when they glow). It would get the energy for glowing just like other cell mechanisms do, it would use some form of stored energy (they say sugar in the video). The idea is that you could have plants which do photosynthesis in the day to emit light all night long (at much, much lower intensity than sunlight). I can just imagine grafting some glow-branches into trees all over... Like Tolkien's elves would do. The way the future ought to be.