Osaka Expo to Unveil World’s First Glowing Plants

OSAKA, Jan 23 (News On Japan) - Glowing plants will make their debut at the Osaka-Kansai Expo set to open in April this year.

The plants, which emit a green glow in the dark, are from the Solanaceae family, specifically the tobacco plant. According to Professor Kenji Nagai of Osaka University, the glow is achieved by incorporating luminescent mushroom genes into the plant's cells, enabling them to emit light independently.

The glowing plants will be unveiled for the first time at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, under the exhibition concept of "Future Wabi-Sabi." Visitors will have the chance to experience these plants in a space designed to evoke the ambiance of a traditional tea room.

Professor Nagai of Osaka University’s Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research commented: "We invite visitors to see what the world’s first glowing plants look like."

Professor Nagai and his team aim to enhance the brightness of these plants further and hope to make them practical for use as streetlights and other forms of lighting within the next decade.

Source: MBS

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