Overview

• Researchers at South China Agricultural University report in Matter that they injected strontium aluminate particles into living tissues to make certain succulents emit visible light.
• The approach is physical rather than genetic, optimizing particle size to about 7 micrometers so the material diffuses through leaf channels while still producing strong phosphorescence.
• After charging under sunlight or indoor LEDs, treated plants glowed in green, red, orange and other hues with a brightness comparable to a night-light for roughly two hours.
• Uniform results were species-dependent, with Echeveria 'Mebina' distributing particles evenly while non-succulents showed patchy uptake and dimmer emission.
• The team built a 56-plant luminous wall bright enough to illuminate nearby objects, and estimated about 10 minutes and roughly 10 yuan in materials per plant, as authors and outside experts still flag short duration and environmental unknowns.