Glow in the dark plants and other bioluminescent creatures
- Published
A group of scientists has created plants that glow in the dark, the glowing is called bio-luminescence and is found in lots of different insects, sea creatures and even mushrooms.
The scientists made plants glow by injecting DNA from glowing mushrooms into them.
Their report in the journal Nature Biotechnology said they found plants that had mushroom DNA glowed continuously throughout their lifecycle, from seedling to maturity.
But why did they do it? Well, they say the new discovery could be used to create glowing flowers glowing flowers and other ornamental plants.
What is bioluminescence?
It's when living things make and give off their own light.
Lots of sea creatures, bacteria, fungi and some insects like fireflies use it.
The light is formed from a chemical reaction in the animal's body.
The glow is used for different reasons including communicating with each other, finding prey, hiding from or warning off predators and attracting a mate.
As much as 76 percent of ocean animals are bioluminescent, producing their own light through a series of chemical reactions or containing bacteria give off light.
Here are some amazing bioluminescent creatures.
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