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Old 02-12-2010, 06:15 PM
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alexch (Alex)
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 773
It's not all bad:

http://news.discovery.com/tech/glowi...ng-lights.html

Quote:
...
Chlorophyll, the photosynthetic pigment that gives leaves their characteristic green color, is widely known for its ability to absorb certain wavelengths of light. However, under certain circumstances, such as being exposed to violet light, chlorophyll can also produce a light of its own. When exposed to light with a wavelengths of about 400 nanometers the normally green colored chlorophyll glows red.
Violet light is hard to come by though, especially at night, when glowing leaves would be useful to drivers and pedestrians. The scientists needed a source of violet light, and found it in the gold nanoparticles.
When shorter wavelengths of light, invisible to the human eye, hit the gold nanoparticles, they get excited and start to glow violet. That violet light strikes the nearby chlorophyll molecules, excites them, and the chlorophyll then produces the red light.
....
"They certainly could be used as street lights," said Ray. "But that's a long way away."
Not only they need "excited" gold nano-particles but the trees would glow RED!!!

As I understand, the trees are not genetically modified, but are implanted with gold nano-particles. I don't think the trees will be made luminescent everywhere, as gold nano-particles wouldn't be exactly cheap, but if all street lights are replaced with trees glowing red - I am all for it (even though I might be 123 years old then with Mallincam eyes)!

Alex
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