Overview
- University of Colorado Boulder researchers reported in Science Advances on Wednesday that simple pH changes can switch on the marine alga Pyrocystis lunula and keep it glowing.
- An acidic solution around pH 4 sustained a bright blue glow for up to 25 minutes, while a basic solution near pH 10 created a shorter, more diffuse light.
- The team embedded living cells in a biocompatible hydrogel and 3D-printed shapes that stayed viable for weeks, retaining about 75% of their initial brightness after four weeks under acidic cycles.
- Because the algae are photosynthetic and use sunlight, seawater, and carbon dioxide, the approach hints at low-energy or even carbon-storing lighting if future versions can be scaled and managed safely.
- Researchers are now testing additional chemical triggers to fine-tune control and to develop living sensors that would glow in the presence of water toxins.