Practical Science with Phil Freda
Biology’s Amazing Processes: Bioluminescence
The biological world is full of amazing creatures with even more amazing adaptations and abilities. Bioluminescence is one of the most striking and baffling adaptations of the natural world.
A welcome addition to a muggy summer night is myriad fireflies buzzing through the trees. It really doesn’t feel like summer has officially come until the first firefly is spotted. Have you ever sat and wondered how fireflies produce their light or why? This article aims to “shed some light” on how the mechanism of bioluminescence works and also to introduce many other amazing species that also have this amazing adaptation. How does bioluminescence work? There are actually many different bioluminescent systems out there, but all of them have the same basic blueprint. The first is a chemical called a luciferin. If you look at the word, what do you immediately see? That’s right—Lucifer. So what does the devil have to do with bioluminescence…
In this Article:
Philip Freda
4:30 pm on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
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