Light without electricity? Glowing algae could make it possible

82 points geox3 days ago 25 comments

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card_zero|about 9 hours ago

> Because these algae are photosynthetic ... "We’re storing carbon while we’re producing light"

The circle of light! Perpetual illumination! Let the algae do photosynthesis using their own light output as energy!

What's happening, chemically? Let's see ... it's luciferin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luciferin_Light_Emission_... Isn't that CO2 being emitted on the right, there?

shellfishgene|about 7 hours ago

I think they mean the algae is in sunlight during the day and growing, producing light only at night.

card_zero|about 7 hours ago

Could be. So over the mentioned four weeks, the algae is reproducing more cells in sunlight, and emitting light at night, while gradually wearing out in some way and "retaining 75% of their brightness". Then at the end of the month you have a bucket of tired algae, and that's the stored carbon. I don't know what you do with it. You probably shouldn't chuck it in a river. Its likely fate is methane, wherever you put it.

californical|about 7 hours ago

That sounds kinda like carbon capture, but decentralized to these light nodes

card_zero|about 4 hours ago

It seems to me that it has the same problem as carbon capture, which is how to make the result inert, or which deep hole to pump it into. Two people apparently silently disagreed with this, I wonder what was bothering them?

kang|about 2 hours ago

Unlike artificial carbon capture, natural carbon capture like algae here become insect/worm/bird feed or manure/coal.

gostsamo|about 4 hours ago

if the output is consistent, could be used for producing biofuel or plastic.

technotony|about 9 hours ago

I hope this works. A decade ago I submitted glowing microbes to the epa but they blocked it. My read from going through that was that it was politically impossible. Hopefully times have changed.

Edit: my microbes were gmo, these are not, so no epa rules. Good luck to them!

arthurcolle|about 9 hours ago

did you keep a few of your gmo cultures?

Scroll_Swe|about 5 hours ago

Modern LED lights really draw no power at all in the grand scheme of things

quickthrowman|about 1 hour ago

They’re pretty incredible, 200+ lumens per watt for LED lighting vs 16 lumens per watt for incandescent, 12.5x more efficient. Commercial LED fixtures have rated lifetimes of 50,000+ hours.

bluebarbet|36 minutes ago

The residual problem as ever being the rebound effect, AKA Jevons paradox. Let's hope that humans find a way not to want everything 12.5x brighter.

ceejayoz|about 11 hours ago

This feels like weird framing. They still need energy to produce it.

I have a genetically engineered luminescent petunia plant. It’s neat, but a ways off from being useful for anything.

aetherspawn|about 11 hours ago

Wow.. this is maybe the plant for anyone interested: https://light.bio/

contingencies|about 9 hours ago

Mushrooms too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omphalotus_nidiformis

walrus01|about 11 hours ago

It rather resembles the CGI protomolecule from 'The Expanse'.

hoerensagen|about 3 hours ago

It is also relevant to something from the last three books, which haven't made it onto TV yet.

cassianoleal|about 11 hours ago

So can torches and candles.

dullcrisp|about 11 hours ago

The sun?

sandworm101|about 10 hours ago

Why all the bother with 3d-printed gel shapes? Why not just use a mat of these things, all glowing, and then put it behind an LCD panel. Then you can have moving pictures without all the bother of 3d printing.

Then you can take the next step and both their apparent output further by replacing the algae with tiny blue LED modules.

kiba|about 10 hours ago

I think it's fine for research, curiosity, aesthetic and coolness factor. Not everything need to be 'practical'.

m3kw9|about 11 hours ago

good for car dashboards, maybe for not vital areas

rini17|about 3 hours ago

Good? You would need the dashboard climate controlled all the time otherwise the algae gets sterilised in the sun. On the other hand, if you park underground all day, must provide light otherwise it dies. Either way it will eat your battery in no time.

Such an idea might be a good startup pitch for gullible investors but won't survive clash with reality.

Razengan|about 9 hours ago

I don’t want algae on my vital areas

Razengan|about 9 hours ago

Technically [nerd emoji] nothing is possible without electricity

(No I don’t go to any parties)