Why Chinese Scientists Made Plants Glow in the Dark
do away with: to get rid of something, end it, or stop using it
In a lab in China, scientists are growing plants that glow in the dark. The team works at a company called Magic Pen Bio. They take genes from fireflies and glowing fungi and place them inside ordinary plants. Now their flowers shine softly at night.
The team didn’t get there on the first try. The founder, Li Renhan, says they ran 532 experiments before the plants finally lit up. They have now changed more than 20 species. Orchids, sunflowers, roses, lilies, and chrysanthemums all glow in soft colors.
But Li wants more than pretty flowers. He wants to do away with streetlights. He believes glowing trees could replace them in parks and on streets. The plants only need water and fertilizer. No wires. No bulbs. No electricity.
“Imagine a valley filled with glowing plants in the dark,” Li says. “It would be like bringing the Avatar world to Earth.”
He is not the only one chasing this dream. At a Chinese university, another team puts tiny glowing particles into thick green succulents. After a short time in the sun, those plants shine bright enough to read a book. They glow for two hours in blue, green, red, violet, and white.
For now, these are still small science projects. The plants are not in our cities yet. But the picture is hard to forget. One day, the lamp on your corner might be a living tree.
Sample sentences
Many libraries have done away with late fees to encourage more people to read.
Some hotels have done away with normal room keys. Now you just use your phone.
When she became manager, she did away with the strict dress code.
Read More
Chinese Scientists Are Bioengineering Plants With Firefly Genes to Glow in the Dark — Futurism
Chinese Scientists Have Created Bright, Multi-Colored Glowing Plants — Futurism
Scientists Are Engineering Plants to Glow in the Dark — Popular Mechanics
