When you think about plants, it’s likely that your mind automatically goes for pretty things that sit in the corner of your living room or in your backyard — and the things that have the added bonus of purifying the air. However, have you ever thought about how plants that glow could potentially reduce our energy usage and our impact on the environment? We’re gonna go ahead and assume that you haven’t. To many people, it just seems like a fictitious concept.
Creating Something Incredible
There’s no doubt about the fact that we have some incredible scientists in this world, and many of them have worked hard throughout their lives to make scientific discoveries that will forever change how we live our lives. Well, a new report published in Nature Biotechnology has brought the work of 27 scientists to light — and their reports center around the plants that are often close by.
Glowing and Growing
Within their research, these scientists discovered that they could create plants that produced their very own visible luminescence. They took inspiration from the bioluminescence found in various mushroom strains, and they noticed that the metabolic make-up of these mushrooms wasn’t far off from common plants. When they inserted the DNA from the mushroom into these plants, the glow that was produced was brighter than they could have ever imagined.
Reducing Our Usage
Of course, this natural light could work wonders with regard to our everyday life. As a society that uses a huge amount of energy to light countless objects on a daily basis, these glowing plants could come in pretty handy. In fact, many scientists believe that their uses could be limitless and that they could also help to reduce our negative impact on the environment. What could be better for that?
Who knows, maybe plants that glow could be the power of the future? We can’t wait to see what happens next.
New Real-Life Conservationist Project to Involve Common Animal-Lovers in Arctic Walrus Census
While climate change is bothering humankind, it is affecting the animal kingdom much more. Scientists and conservationists are now coming up with more and more unique engaging ideas to monitor and preserve endangered species, keeping the global ecology in balance. The new collaborative project of the British Antarctic Survey and WWF will directly involve animal lovers worldwide in the important task of monitoring an Arctic species.
The Project
The ‘Walrus from Space’ research project is a joint collaboration of WWF and the British Antarctic Survey and is designed to get a clearer picture of the population and activities of the Arctic walrus without disturbing the animals physically. Under the project, the scientists used space satellites to capture a range of high-resolution images of the walrus population. In literally thousands of images, the walrus groups are seen to be congregated on more than 9,653 square miles along the Arctic coastline. Cumulatively, the area is larger than all of Wales. Walruses are a culturally significant iconic species of the Arctic coastline, threatened continuously by the global climate crisis.
The Real-Life Involvement
Under a real-life inclusive initiative, named ‘Where’s Wally?’, scientists are now appealing to the common people to help them count the number of Walrus from the satellite images. The unique project will directly involve animal lovers and enthusiasts across the globe in scanning the images helping the project scientists to monitor the Walrus population. According to the chief polar adviser at WWF Rod Downie, anyone from any background can take part in this voluntary project of Walrus census and can do the task by using their own computers. They just have to undergo a short online training module before jumping into action.
The Vision Behind
The climate crisis is becoming a serious global threat with each passing day. Feeling powerless in the face of nature is only natural here. This project aims to increase global awareness, and scientists and conservationists are hoping to enable individuals to take direct action.