The world's first synthetic leaf that produces oxygen does so much like the real one.

The man-made leaf is made of proteins extracted from silk and chloroplasts, the specialized subunits in plant and algal cells that can carry out photosynthesis.

When exposed to light and provided with water, the synthetic leaf acts like a naturally grown leaf and produces oxygen.

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The "Silk Leaf" was invented by Julian Melchiorri, a graduate student of the Royal College of Art in London, as a part of the school's Innovation Design Engineering Course.

The project was recently featured in Dezeen and Mini Frontiers, a partnership between two brands dedicated to exploring how design and technology can help the future.

Melchiorri said that aside from its pure biological properties, Silk Leaf is also very light and only consumes a small amount of energy. His idea was to use nature's efficiency in a man-made environment.

He suggested that this simple leaf technology can be applied to the sides of buildings. In that way, the technology can filter internal or external air and promote clean oxygen in metropolitan areas. 

Melchiorri, however, said we must not shy away from planting trees because his Silk Leaf project won't replace real plants entirely. The leaf features chloroplasts extracted from actual plant cells, which verifies its reliance on nature.

Melchiorri's invention also tackles a very specific and challenging situation.

"Plants don't grow in zero gravity. This material could allow us to explore space much further than we can now," the graduate student explained.

NASA is developing its VEGGIE project that will grow food in space for future astronauts. But the agency's project limits plant growth to tiny individualized root packets. Large packets would be necessary to develop trees.

Melchiorri's Silk Leaf may be exactly what NASA needs for its current project to be successful.

TagsSilk Leaf, Julian Melchiorri, Royal College of Art, Design Engineering Course, Dezeen and Mini Frontiers, Synthetic Leaf, NASA, Veggie Project