'Bioluminescence'
Have you seen fireflies? They emit a beautiful faint light do they?
Have you heard about the luminous glowing tides along the shores of a beach?
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| They use it to attract the opposite sex |
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| Just like endless sea of stars |
Yes, both of the phenomenon is an example of bioluminescence.
'Bio' means life or something that relates to life, while 'Luminescence' means the emission of light from a source not resulting from heat. So the meaning of bioluminescence is the emission of light from a living being that is not a result from heat.
Bioluminescence occurs mainly in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, and in some fungi, bacterias, and insects. Bioluminescence is a product of chemiluminescence, which is the emission of light from a chemical reaction.
How does Bioluminescence works?
Bioluminescence works when animals mix chemical compounds to glow. Just like the chemical compounds inside a glowstick that emits light when mixed together. This method of light emission is far more efficient than incandescent light (light as a result from heat)
Since bioluminescent light is luminescent, it doesn't produce heat. Producing heat requires a lot of energy. So, basically bioluminescence is far more efficient than incandescence (example : light bulbs)
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Yeah, if somehow bioluminescence could somehow be 'manipulated' it could be the next alternative for eco-friendly lightsource.
The great news is that bioluminescence is already 'manipulatable'.
A group of researcher is already tinkering with bioluminescence. They plan to make a commercial glowing plant. The plant is being made by genetic engineering. They successfully transferred a gene from firefly to the 'target' plant. The result is a living and glowing plant!
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| visit www.glowingplant.com for more info |
With this new invention, they also laid the foundation for future projects that use bioluminescence. Just imagine it, maybe in the distant future, trees will glow and light the roads of our cities, who knows?
The Glowing Waves
So, for you who want to know how the glowing waves works, just watch the video below.
Credit goes to Peter Kragh for making this video!
The glowing waves is produced by bioluminescent dinoflagellates. There are 18 bioluminescent dinoflagellates in total, the most widely known is Noctiluca scintillans.
The dinoflagellates respond to movements by emitting light. The light is produced by the chemicals inside the dinoflagellates that's easily stimulated by mechanical disturbances. Therefore, when disturbed, either by swimming, waves, or boat, the chemicals react and emit an eerie blue glow.
Beautiful isn't it?
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