Cities to be Lit by Bioluminescent Trees

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the concept of bioluminescent trees and plants, exploring their potential applications in urban environments, home lighting, and agricultural innovations. Participants share ideas about the feasibility and implications of such bioluminescent organisms.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants highlight a laboratory's work on creating glowing plants by merging luciferin with regular plants, suggesting this could lead to beautiful bioluminescent trees in cities.
  • There are suggestions about using bioluminescent plants as house plants for home lighting.
  • One participant recounts an experience of seeing a glowing cornfield near an experimental farm, raising questions about the purpose and benefits of glowing corn.
  • Concerns are expressed regarding the novelty of glowing corn, with some humor about its potential use for nighttime harvesting.
  • Participants discuss the idea of engineering bioluminescence into fruits or animal tissues, pondering the societal acceptance of such modifications.
  • There is a mention of previous discussions about plants bioluminescing in response to injury, though uncertainty remains about the progress of such research.
  • One participant notes skepticism about the use of the term "naturally" in relation to engineered bioluminescent plants.
  • A participant humorously references a fictional character's glowing goldfish, indicating a cultural connection to the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features multiple competing views regarding the implications and feasibility of bioluminescent plants, with no consensus reached on their practicality or societal acceptance.

Contextual Notes

Participants express various assumptions about the engineering processes involved and the potential applications of bioluminescent organisms, but these remain unresolved and speculative.

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Future Cities Lit by Beautiful Bioluminescent Trees
http://blog.suny.edu/2014/03/future-cities-lit-by-beautiful-bioluminescent-trees/

A laboratory at Stony Brook University, working with designer Dann Roosegaarde, has developed a glowing plant by merging luciferin–which is the chemical that enables fireflies to glow–with a simple plant. The result is a plant, in dirt, that glows. Naturally.
And it is awesome.
 

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How about house plants? We could light our homes with them!
 
http://climatevoices.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/4m30_dscn1363.jpg
 
There is a large chemical company that has a huge experimental farm near me. There is actually a guard shack at the entrance, it looks like a military compound. One night, a few years ago, as I was cresting a hill near the farm, I noticed that one of their cornfields had an eerie green glow. I googled and found references to experiments to make corn glow, no idea what I saw.
 
Evo said:
There is a large chemical company that has a huge experimental farm near me. There is actually a guard shack at the entrance, it looks like a military compound. One night as I was cresting a hill near the farm, I noticed that one of their cornfields had an eerie green glow. I googled and found references to experiments to make corn glow.

What is the upside to glowing corn? Novelty popcorn?
 
Greg Bernhardt said:
What is the upside to glowing corn? Novelty popcorn?
You can pick corn at night. :-p I guess it was just to see if it could be done. Of course, they could have placed green glowing lights all through the field, you could not see the fields normally, they are surrounded by high walls.
 
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Greg Bernhardt said:
What is the upside to glowing corn? Novelty popcorn?

At one point, researchers were discussing making plants that bioluminesce in response to injury from pests or disease. I have no idea if anyone has gone forward with that idea.
 
  • #10
How about engineering it into fruit, so they'll glow at a perfect time to eat. Or in animal muscle tissue, to glow when meat is spoiled. Possibilities are endless, but will society let such freak products free into nature?
 
  • #11
Sheldon Cooper already got his goldfish which glow in the dark.
 
  • #12
The result is a plant, in dirt, that glows. Naturally.
I don't subscribe to the views of the people depicted in nsaspook's post, but I don't agree that the the adjective "naturally" applies here.
 
  • #13
I see this thread was actually posted on April 1st, April Fools day, but I just had to respond that I want one of those trees. NOW!
 

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