Glow in the dark orchid..!!!?

         I've heard about this somewhere, but couldn't remember where and when, Is this for real.? Now since I come across it on the internet I cant' help it, but make a post about one of this big achievement in horticulture..It's not new actually..in 2003! Where have I been? lol..but now I can safely confirmed that what I've heard was true..

         Saya ada dengar berita ni, bila dan dimana tak ingat..itu pun macam gitu-gitu saja..tapi bila dah terjumpa rasanya ini mesti buat entri dalam blog ni..Ini merupakan satu pencapaian yang besar di dalam bidang hortikultur..cerita ni rupanya dah lama sejak 2003..ha..ha..Tapi sekarang kira dah confirm la orkid ni ada..

         Silalah baca petikan di bawah ni, malas nak terjemah banyak sangat istilah saintifik..takut salah tafsir pulak..Petikan daripada artikel edaran Persatuan Orkid Missouri Tengah, USA..

This is from The Central Missouri Orchid Society December 2003 newsletter:

Creating a "Glow-in-the-dark" Orchid

         The world's first and only genetically modified bioluminescent orchid has been successfully developed by Prof. Chia Tet Fatt from the National Institute of Education (NIE). To create the bioluminescent orchid, Prof. Chia transformed tissues from orchids (the Dendrobium genus) using the firefly luciferase gene. Using a method called "particle bombardment", biologically active DNA from the firefly gene was delivered into orchid tissues. Transformed cells were identified by their bioluminescence trait. These transformed tissues were propagated and used to generate transgenic plants (plants with a foreign gene incorporated). This process was repeated several times, and the bioluminescent trait was present in all transgenic plants. This confirms that the firefly luciferase gene has been integrated into the orchid. Unlike the fluorescent traits which store and re-emit light energy, the bioluminescent trait of the orchid uses its own energy to create light. These bioluminescent orchids will produce constant light, visible to the human eye, for up to 5 hours in a stretch. This greenish-white light is emitted from the whole orchid, including roots, stem, leaves and petals. The intensity of light produced varies across the different parts, ranging from 5,000 to 30,000 photons per second. Genetic transformation can help supplement traditional breeding of orchids to create orchids with desirable traits, such as novel colours, longer shelf life and increased resistance to pests and diseases. It is also possible that this procedure can be used for the transformation of other species.

  

And this is how the 'glow in the dark' plant and flower look like....inilah rupanya..

         So what do you think? There's a lot that can be said about this..positive, negative..  but suddenly this reminds me of the flora and fauna on Pandora moon, The world in Avatar movie..Imagine if we walk in the garden at night we see orchid plants and flowers glow.. exciting?

        Jadi apa yang anda fikirkan..macam-macam pendapat boleh diberikan..positif, negatif..tiba-tiba saya teringat pulak filem Avatar..flora dan fauna di Pandora yang bercahaya di dalam gelap..Bayangkan kalau kita berjalan di dalam taman pada waktu malam ada pula orkid yang 'glow in the dark'... Mengujakan?

Some people worry that artificial intelligence will make us feel inferior, 

but then, anybody in his right mind should have an inferiority complex 

every time he looks at a flower. 

- Alan Kay