Luminous wood from the mushroom laboratory

Researchers at Empa are exploring a new concept for a composite material derived from hardwood: glowing wood. Besides its technical uses, this luminous wood could be transformed into designer furniture or jewelry. This innovation is made possible by a parasite; the honey fungus, a pathogen that induces white rot in trees, is considered a wood pest. Certain species produce a natural compound called luciferin, which can glow through a two-step enzymatic reaction. Consequently, wood that is infused with fungal threads emits a green light.