Bacterial Lights Use Power of Poop to Brighten Homes

Yep. Poop. (And bioluminescent bacteria.)

Dutch electronics company Phillips has created new lightbulbs that run on the power of poop instead of electricity. The secret lies in the bacteria placed in the lightbulbs. The bacteria are bio-luminescent, which means, like fireflies, that they emit light through a chemical reaction. The bacteria thrive on human and food waste, so as long as there is a consistent source of either of the two, the bacteria are expected to shine indefinitely. Phillips' Microbial Home system collects the methane released by the breakdown of human and vegetable waste, then pumps that gas through silicon tubes to the lights, where the gas is digested by the bacteria. The light they emit isn't powerful enough to replace regular lighting, but Phillips envisions that the poop-powered lights could be used, for example, to demarcate paths in movie theatres or make for better road markings.