When the lights go out instead of looking for any candle, it will suffice you to have an illuminating plant. MIT engineers (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) have created a nanotechnology-based technique that allows plant leaves to be illuminated and can be used to illuminate a room. In the first attempts, the plants were illuminated for 45 minutes and then managed to prolong this process for up to 4 hours. The idea is to stay illumined with time. To create this finding, luciferase was used, an enzyme that gives light candles. This enzyme acts on a molecule called luciferin causing light to be emitted. The other molecule called coenzyme
A assists in the process, inhibiting a reaction product that can inhibit the activation of luciferase. The MIT team pooled these three components into nano-cell transducers of various sizes to help each ingredient run to the correct plant location.
For these cells to reach the plant's leaves, scientists initially placed these cells in a solution where the plants were immersed and kept in high pressure, which allowed the cells to enter the leaves through small pores called estomes.
Once placed on the leaves, the cells gradually emit luciferin, which then enters the plant cells where the luciferase produces the chemical reaction that makes luciferin shine.
This type of process was tested on plants such as rucola, watercress, spinach, but can be used in any other kind of plant. If the project succeeds in some types it may be interfaced to have low intensity light or may turn city trees into natural lighting systems.
