RESEARCHERS from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have found an alternative light source that could reduce our need for fossil fuels.
Researchers from SRUC and the Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) St Gallen, Switzerland, have worked together on the project.
They have successfully inserted the decay fungus Desarmillaria tabescens – a white rot fungus – into balsa wood to make it glow, with the aim of producing functionality.
With energy prices staying high, scientists have been looking for new ways to produce light that is cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
Dr Hugh Morris from SRUC, one of the team of scientists working on the project, said: “With global concerns about the climate emergency and the urgency to reach net zero emissions, new technologies are critical in our race to protect the planet from overheating.
“Although in its very early stages, this research represents an exciting glimpse of an alternative light source.”
The scientists involved believe it could one day be used as an alternative light source, such as a battery-free glow to illuminate homes and communities, medical imaging and optical sensing of dyes and paints, and a bioluminescent-based bioassay for detecting wood preservatives.
The study creates a hybrid living material by merging the fungus Desarmillaria tabescent with balsa wood to produce controlled bioluminescence.
The wood is soaked, co-cultivated with the fungus for three months, and exposed to dark air, achieving maximum glow.
While bioluminescence – colloquially known as “fox fire” is a familiar sight in decaying wood in nature, especially in the mycelial strands that resemble bootlaces, it is the first time the process has been “tamed” in a laboratory.
Benjamin Franklin, the scientist and American Founding Father, used glowing wood in ship’s compasses while, in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, the eponymous hero is able to find his way out of a mineshaft by following the glow given off by the decaying timber.
The research can be found in Advanced Science.
