Dutch company develops bioluminescent light bulb

Daily Mail : Philips, a Dutch electronics company, is developing a bio-light that provides illumination using the same method as fireflies and glow worms, writes Gareth Finighan for the Daily Mail. The lamp consists of a series of glass chambers that contain bioluminescent bacteria, which glow green when fed methane gas pumped into the unit through a household-waste digester . Although most people would not necessarily want to introduce bacterial cultures into their homes, such a lighting method could have outside applications, such as illuminating walkways. The company is also working on an alternative method that uses fluorescent proteins that emit different frequencies of light. “Energy-saving light bulbs will only take us so far. We need to push ourselves to rethink domestic appliances entirely, to rethink how homes consume energy, and how entire communities can pool resources,” said Clive van Heerden of Philips Design.