Bioluminescent Wood Created Using Fungi: A New Sustainable Lighting Material

Researchers in Switzerland have figured out how to make wood glow in the dark—without wires, batteries, or synthetic chemicals. By carefully combining the white rot fungus Desarmillaria tabescens with blocks of balsa wood, scientists from Empa created a hybrid material that produces visible bioluminescence for hours at a time.

This isn’t speculative science. It’s a reproducible, biology-based material that could one day light up buildings, signs, and surfaces using nothing but moisture, oxygen, and fungi.

A Glow That Starts With Decay

The glow—long known as “foxfire”—emerges from the fungal breakdown of lignin, the complex molecule that gives wood its structure. In nature, certain white rot fungi like Desarmillaria and Armillaria produce light while decomposing fallen logs. But until now, replicating and sustaining that light in a controlled setting had proved difficult.

The breakthrough came when the team soaked lightweight balsa wood in a cellulose-rich growth medium and allowed it to be colonised by D. tabescens over 3–4 months. When the blocks were exposed to air and gradually dehydrated, they began to emit a steady bluish-green glow—strong enough to illuminate lettering carved into the surface.

How the Fungal Light Works

The chemical chain behind the glow is a series of reactions known as the caffeic acid cycle. As D. tabescens degrades lignin, it produces intermediates like hispidin and luciferin. When luciferin is oxidised by the enzyme luciferase in the presence of oxygen, it emits visible light.

The most intense glow occurred when wood had a moisture content between 700–1200%—extremely saturated by conventional standards, but ideal for this fungus. Moisture, oxygen, and time proved to be the three key variables.

Importantly, the study confirmed that this bioluminescence is not a fluke. The light returned after rehydrating dried blocks, and similar results were replicated across hundreds of samples.

A Material with Built-In Light

What makes this system so promising is that the light comes from within the material itself. The wood acts as structure, nutrient source, and diffusion medium all at once. By avoiding chemical treatment, the researchers preserved the fungi’s ability to grow and glow—making this a true “living material”.

Unlike traditional LEDs or glow-in-the-dark plastics, this material is biodegradable, self-sustaining, and doesn’t require external power. It also doesn’t overheat, making it safe for use in indoor settings or low-light applications where soft, non-invasive lighting is desired.

Beyond Gimmickry: Real Potential?

This isn’t just about novelty. The research team sees bioluminescent wood as a serious candidate for future low-energy lighting systems. It could reduce electricity use, cut CO₂ emissions, and lower light pollution—all while using waste wood and naturally occurring fungi.

According to the authors, applications could include ambient interior lighting, signage, eco-design products, or even living sensors. Unlike single-use glow sticks or battery-powered LEDs, these materials regenerate their glow with the right environmental conditions.

It’s also an example of what fungi can do when integrated into materials science—not as additives or decorations, but as active, functional agents.

Fungi Are the Factory

D. tabescens is doing the heavy lifting here. It degrades lignin, converts biochemical intermediates into light-emitting molecules, and maintains the physical integrity of the wood. The fungus even creates its own aeration system via rhizomorphs—specialised structures that channel oxygen through the wet wood matrix.

The study also found that bioluminescence was stronger when lignin content was high and fungal colonisation was robust. It dropped off after extended degradation, when the lignin had been mostly consumed—suggesting a natural feedback loop that governs light output.

One Step Closer to Living Architecture

With careful control of species, substrates, and conditions, fungal bioluminescence can now be engineered. That opens the door to a new class of “living” materials—objects that respond, repair, or emit light without human intervention.

The wood-glow combo might not replace your desk lamp yet, but it signals a larger shift: mycelium isn’t just for packaging and plastics. It can play a functional role in how we design sustainable, low-impact materials in the built environment.