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Ask HN: Are there plants that can open a window?
There are genetically engineered bacteria that can send a signal when the water gets polluted: http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/engineered-bacteria-send-a-signal-when-water-gets-polluted-150811.htm
Are there genetically engineered plants that for example emit light in a particular part of the spectrum to directly control valves/actuators in greenhouses to provide them with more or less water, nutrients, etc.?
At first this actuator that is artificially encoded in their genes will not be used as such by the plant itself. However, through evolution the plants that incorporate this genetic circuit in such a way that they can control the lights/water/nutrients will be selected for.
- jakejake 11y agoI don't know the answer to your question but it would be fascinating if some type of plant or organism could evolve to use some type of man-made tool. Like a plant or fungus or something that could trigger a flow of water or sunlight.
- giltleaf 11y agoThere are glow in the dark plants (http://www.glowingplant.com/ http://www.glowingplant.com/) but there are not plants genetically engineered to produce photosynthetically useful light that I know of. And they definitely don't exist in anything close to a commercially useful form. I'm not really sure how the text of your question relates to the headline though. There are plants that can open a window as they grow over time, but there isn't a plant that can just do it in response to stimuli. I'm not sure how useful this technology would be when it's already so easy, low cost, and sustainable to incorporate it mechanically without the added regulatory, r&d, and cost hurdles associated with genetic engineering. I would also mention GE issues with patents and environmental damage.