Neon Trees [Nanotechnology]

Taiwanese researchers have stumbled onto something truly magical. When gold nanoparticles were introduced into Bacopa caroliniana plants they caused the chlorophyll to provide reddish light. Bye-bye street lights? But wait, there’s more:

While lit, the glowing trees vegetation consumed more carbon from the atmosphere than normal (i.e. the luminescence causes the cells to undergo photosynthesis).

PopSci calls this a ” triple threat,” in that the trees could cut energy costs, reduce global warming and keep streets safely lit at night. I’m more than inclined to agree. [ RSC Publishing via Inhabitat via PopSci , Image: Flickr ]

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This post is tagged: energy costs, global-warming, luminescence, photosynthesis, triple threat