A research team demonstrated that wood can be made to glow by combining it with a living, bioluminescent fungus.

 

A research team demonstrated that wood can be made to glow by combining it with a living, bioluminescent fungus. Instead of adding LEDs or wiring, the glow comes from a natural biochemical reaction inside the fungus as it grows within the wood’s structure.

In the reported approach, the fungus colonizes the wood and produces light through its luciferase-driven chemistry, creating a soft green illumination. The goal is to turn wood into a “living hybrid material” that emits light on its own under the right conditions.

The 2024 Advanced Science study (Schwarze et al.) focuses on improving how reliably this bioluminescent wood can be produced and controlled. In other words, it is not just “glowing wood exists,” but “here is how to make it more consistent and usable.”

As a concept, this could inspire new kinds of ambient lighting for design features like pathways, garden elements, parks, or decorative architectural components, especially where gentle guidance lighting is enough. It is presented as a potential energy-saving direction because the light is generated biologically rather than electrically.

At the same time, it is still an emerging material idea. Real-world outdoor use would depend on practical factors like durability, moisture control, maintaining fungal activity safely, brightness levels, and how long the glow can be sustained under everyday conditions.

Science Pulse

Science Pulse

Science Pulse