Using directed evolution to improve luminosity

Dr Jamey Kain explains a process we are using to improve the luminosity of the genes we are using.

[@neroprox]

I love these updates :) keep them coming :)

[@ronshigeta9777]

Nice direction Jamey! Love it

[@LioRMD]

Great update! cant wait to see the plant glowing in my room! :) Have you seen any new mutations that are worth while???

[@TAXABiotechnologies]

Yes, if you look at the backer update you will see we have found one so far that looks like it gives us a 10% improvement which is promising from the first cycle.

[@TAXABiotechnologies]

Here's the link with the data: www.kickstarter.com/projects/antonyevans/glowing-plants-natural-lighting-with-no-electricit/posts/820906

[@LioRMD]

Glowing Plant Great! keep up the good work!!

[@kurtp2003]

This process sounds relatively time consuming for each cycle. I definitely am not a scientist (more like a science enthusiast, to put it kindly) but I have to imagine that going through this process once must take at least a couple weeks Anyway, I'm curious- how many times have you done this now, and how much has the luminosity improved? I'm very curious to know how bright a glowing plant can be, especially given that the initial pitch was to use plants as an actual light source. There must be a point of diminishing returns, but I'm not sure where that would be. Do you perhaps have a prediction, or at least a feasible goal of what you hope to achieve here or is it just a process of improving it until you hit a wall?

[@TAXABiotechnologies]

Good question, and yes it's quite time consuming. We've been completely through one cycle so far which are the results you are seeing. 10% improvement is pretty good so we want to further invest in this approach. The truth is that currently we don't know what limits we will hit, so we are pushing as hard as we can. Likely there will be multiple walls we hit, though we haven't come up against them yet. To get bright enough to use for street lighting is going to take a long long time, this is just the first step. The current plants are currently more like glow in the dark paint in their total luminosity (much like the bacteria we took the genes from!).

[@kurtp2003]

Glowing Plant Okay, that's pretty much exactly what I would have expected this early on. I imagine it would take years of refinement to make something bright enough to be a viable light source, though even something that glows in the dark could be very useful as a marker (and it certainly has potential as a novelty product in the short term) Although, I have to wonder how possible it actually is to make something bright enough to be capable of replacing a street light. They have one huge advantage over a plant in having a single, directed light source. If a plant could be bright enough to light an area, it may also be bright enough to be distracting, since the entire thing would likely be glowing. Also, is the amount of energy produced by the plant naturally ever likely to become a barrier? Anyway, thank you for answering my questions. I appreciate it very much that you'd give me the time of day, especially considering how little I know about all this

[@TAXABiotechnologies]

Christian Kallevig yes, we do expect it to take years to get something which we can use for lighting in the home or streets, but we have to start somewhere!

[@kurtp2003]

Yes, very true. Well, best of luck. I look forward to the day that this can get out of the lab and into people's hands

[@cosmicaug]

How are you doing the targeted mutagenesis?

[@cosmicaug]

Never mind. I should have finished the video before posting.