A team of Cambridge undergraduates participating in the annual International Genetically Engineered Machines (IGEM) competition, has come up with a concept for creating bioluminescent street lamps. The students took genes from fireflies and inserted them into E. coli bacteria, where they produced enough light to read by. The researchers hope to someday use the same technique to insert genes into trees, which can then replace electric streetlights. Not to mention the benefit to Christmas tree decorators.
The team used a technique called ‘Gibson assembly’ to insert the genes. You can see how this was done below.
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