These Marine Algae Glow When Waves Disturb Them. Their Bioluminescence Could Power Electricity-Free Lamps of the Future

The single-celled organisms usually shimmer for mere milliseconds, but researchers figured out how to sustain their illumination. The technology could one day be used to light robots’ ways in the deep sea or space

Sara Hashemi | Daily Correspondent

May 13, 2026 11:43 a.m.

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Bioluminescence is one of nature’s coolest tricks. Organisms in many kingdoms of life—including animals, plants and fungi—can create their own light through chemical reactions in their cells. The trait isn’t uncommon: As much as 90 percent of deep-sea creatures might be able to glow.

Now, scientists have harnessed bioluminescent algae to make 3D-printed lights that you won’t find at your typical furniture store. Their work, published in the journal Science Advances on May 6, could help build more sustainable light-emitting technologies.

“This project was a moonshot idea,” says Wil Srubar, a study co-author and materials scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder, in a statement. “I was curious if we could create a world in which we don’t use electricity but rather use biology to produce light. This discovery really paves the way for engineering other living light materials and devices.”

Srubar and his colleagues wondered if they could get the marine alga Pyrocystis lunula to sustain its illumination. The single-celled organisms briefly glimmer blue when disturbed by crashing ocean waves or passing boats. At first, the team tried to squish the algae to replicate those mechanical triggers.

“They weren’t really responding to that,” says Giulia Brachi, a study co-author and bioengineer also at CU Boulder, to Chris Baraniuk at the Guardian.

The team then turned to chemistry. Previous studies had shown that P. lunula’s bioluminescence could be activated when the algae are exposed to certain chemical compounds. So, they put some algae in a solution about as acidic as tomato juice and some in a solution about as basic as mild soap.

In both cases, the algae produced light, though the glow was diffuse and short-lived with the basic solution, indicating cellular stress. The acidic solution, however, helped the algae keep a concentrated glow for up to 25 minutes.

“It was a very exciting moment when we found the right chemical stimulant that allowed the light to stay on for a long time,” Brachi says in the statement. “This is the first time we have figured out how to sustain luminescence.”

Then, the scientists embedded the algae in a water-based gel. The material was 3D-printed in various shapes, including a crescent moon, a grid and even CU Boulder’s logo. The algae stayed alive in those structures for four weeks, and the acid-treated samples still retained 75 percent of their glow when tested at the end of the study period.

Srubar tells Guardian that this “living light” could be used for glowsticks or glimmering bracelets. With more work, they could also provide battery-free lighting for autonomous robots in space or deep-sea conditions. And if the researchers find that P. lunula responds to other chemicals, it could potentially be used to monitor toxins in water.

Getting to this bright future won’t be easy. “Moving it from what works under controlled conditions in the lab to what works in the real world will be a challenge—but this is a really interesting first step,” says Chris Howe, a biochemist at the University of Cambridge who was not involved in the work, to the Guardian.

Additionally, the organisms do more than just glow. The ocean absorbs about 30 percent of the heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But with humans producing the greenhouse gas at an increasing rate, seawater has become more acidic, disrupting marine habitats. Since the algae are photosynthetic, they remove some dissolved carbon dioxide to make their own food.

“We’re storing carbon while we’re producing light, whereas conventionally, we emit carbon to light up spaces,” Srubar says in the statement.

Sara Hashemi | Read More

Sara Hashemi is a science writer and fact-checker currently based in New York City. Her work has appeared in Sierra, The Body, Maisonneuve magazine and more.