From algae, they created a luminous material that does not need energy.

For their work, the scientists studied the bioluminescent waves that sometimes appear on the beaches of San Diego during red tides. The light comes from single-celled algae called dinoflagellates. Scientists have found that they begin to glow only under mechanical action. To fabricate the devices, researchers inject a solution of Pyrocystis lunula dinoflagellate into a cavity made of a soft, elastic, transparent material.