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Glowing TreeStreet lights are an important part of our urban infrastructure—they light our way home and make the roads safe at night. But what if we could create natural street lights that don't need electricity to power them? A group of scientists in Taiwan discovered that placing gold nanoparticles within the leaves of trees causes them to give off a luminous reddish glow. The idea of using trees to replace street lights is an ingenious one: not only would it save on electricity costs and cut CO2 emissions, but it could also greatly reduce light pollution in major cities.1
Infra red treesPhoto © Paul Dex2
Urban Cherry BlossomStreet lights are an important part of our urban infrastructure—they light our way home and make the roads safe at night. But what if we could create natural street lights that don't need electricity to power them? A group of scientists in Taiwan discovered that placing gold nanoparticles within the leaves of trees causes them to give off a luminous reddish glow. The idea of using trees to replace street lights is an ingenious one: not only would it save on electricity costs and cut CO2 emissions, but it could also greatly reduce light pollution in major cities.3
Glowing TreesPhoto © mrhayata4
Infra red treePhoto © Luis Argerich5
GlowingTreesStreet lights are an important part of our urban infrastructure—they light our way home and make the roads safe at night. But what if we could create natural street lights that don't need electricity to power them? A group of scientists in Taiwan discovered that placing gold nanoparticles within the leaves of trees causes them to give off a luminous reddish glow. The idea of using trees to replace street lights is an ingenious one: not only would it save on electricity costs and cut CO2 emissions, but it could also greatly reduce light pollution in major cities.6
