WormLight
WormLights are a series of emitting producing products created and sold by Ultracorps. WormLights are named after the strands of bacteria that produce the light, which could be mistaken for worms. WormLights consist of a translucent tube, usually glass or Pho-Plastic, reflective material, water, a strip of zinc, and a strand of bioluminescent bacteria produced by the Different Michael Jacobs. WormLights are the predominant source of artificial lighting in the United States.
The bacteria are placed inside a translucent tube filled with water, they are attached to a strip of zinc that acts as an anchor for the bacteria, which also slowly consume the zinc. The surface area of the zinc controls the amount of bacteria that can grow and thus the amount of light that is produced. The bacteria also require a supply of carbohydrates, usually Manna. When the bacteria are cut off from the supply of Manna, they enter a dormant phase. This can be used to turn WormLights “on” and “off.”
By varying the size and color of the container, the amount of carbohydrates added, the size of the zinc strip, and by using reflective surfaces, WormLights can be created to serve many functions. They have been made into streetlights, portable lights, spotlights, home and industrial lighting, and headlights.
When The Plagues devastated the nation’s power grid, electrical lights were rendered useless. Michael Jacobs turned himself in to government personnel in 1983 with the hopes of helping the relief effort. His entire body had begun glowing four years prior. Michael worked with Section 26 personnel to develop the first WormLight prototypes, which relied on glass tubes and sugar for carbohydrates. These lights soon went into mass production under government contract.
In 1987, Michael, started Early Bird Industries to produce and distribute his WormLights. In 1991, Early Bird Industries began a partnership with Ultracorps, which improved efficiency and reduced the cost of WormLights by replacing the glass with Pho-Plastic and the sugar with Manna. The switch to Manna greatly increased the longevity of the WormLights, sugar need to be added every few days to support the light. Manna, with its unique carbohydrates, could sustain the bacteria for months or even years.
The Different Acts of 1996 made it difficult for all business that relied on Different labor, except for Ultracorps. Michael sold Early Bird Industries to Ultracorps in November of 1996. Ultracorps no longer requires Michael to produce the WormLights; they have created several sustainable colonies of his bioluminescent bacteria that they use to create their products.
