500 years ago. In the 1600s, researchers began to discover exactly how animals make their own light. But since different animals use different substances, scientists still don't know precisely how every bioluminescent species makes light. In some cases, researchers haven't figured...
NargiLelaOdyssey
Possibly, but that doesn't explain why only Rudolph has a bioluminescent nose. When we look closer at Rudolph's childhood, however, it could be that his bright nose was a rapid evolutionary adaptation. It's possible that the real reason Rudolph couldn't play in all those reindeer games was...
Firefliescreate light in a similar way to how a glowstick works. The light results from a chemical reaction, or chemiluminescence. When a light-producing chemical reaction occurs within a living organism, scientists call this property bioluminescence. Mostbioluminescent organismslive in marine environments...
Not every species flashes, but of those that do, each lightning bug species has aspecialized flash patternto attract mates of the opposite gender. Males fly around in the night, flashing their bioluminescent light organ for females to see while the female flashes back at him from her perch. ...
How do ostracods glow? Without getting too scientific there are two chemicals inside the body of those animals that produce the glow:Luciferin and luciferace. Luciferin reacts with oxygen to produce the light while luciferase (enzyme) speeds-up the process as a catalyzer. ...
Bobtail squid have evolved one of the most magical symbioses on the planet. Bioluminescent bacteria live within the folds of a chambered sac in the squid’s mantle, generating light that spills from the squid’s underside. A lens and color filter attached to this internal lantern—known as the...
He is the light in the shadows, illuminated from within by bioluminescent algae. A death's head adorns his face like a wound revealing the skull beneath the scales. He is one with the dark, flitting through the crack between worlds. The insidious fluttering of his wings writhes its way ...
Some animals are prone to breed more, others to breed less. Bioluminescent species are suddenly faced with tireless competitors: artificial lights. The larger impacts of ecological disruptions such as these aren't always clear to researchers, but considering how delicate the planet's ecosystem is, ...
In contrast, bioluminescence in the luminous shrimp, one of many bioluminescent marine species, is generated by the oxidation of coelenterazine (CTZ) catalyzed by oplophorus luciferase (Oluc) in the presence of O2 to generate coelenteramide, which produces blue light (λmax = 454 nm) [8,9,...