http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Glowing bacteria inside squids use light and chemical signals to control circadian-like rhythms in the animals, according to a study to be published on April 2 in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, houses a colony of Vibrio fischeri bacteria in its light organ, using the bacteria at night as an antipredatory camouflage while it ventures out to hunt. The results of the study show that, in addition to acting as a built-in lamp, the bacteria also control when the squid expresses a gene that entrains, or synchronizes, circadian rhythms in animals. http://phys.org/news284037174.html Biology Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:02 EST news284037174 (Phys.org)—A team of researchers studying velvet belly lantern sharks has discovered that the species has bioluminescent cells on both its belly and near its dorsal spines. The team describes their surprising findings in their paper published in the journal Nature. http://phys.org/news280749304.html Biology Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:20:06 EST news280749304 Scientists are recruiting bacteria to spot pollutants spilling into our rivers and lakes. http://phys.org/news277632011.html Biology Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:00:17 EST news277632011 (Phys.org)—Scientists are doing it all the time, attempting to mimic systems and structures of plants and animals to manufacture something entirely new. A group of South Korean scientists have collaborated to translate what they observed in fireflies over toward a better, less expensive, LED lens. Their work is essentially mimicking a bioluminescent organ for lighting applications Following the contemporary practice of investigating biological systems, the team attempted to copy the structure of a firefly's underbelly into work that may lead to more efficient and cheaper LED lighting. They wrote about a better anti-reflective lens for light-emitting diodes (LED) in their paper, "Biologically inspired LED lens from cuticular nanostructures of firefly," which was recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://phys.org/news270974561.html Nanotechnology Thu, 01 Nov 2012 08:20:07 EST news270974561 (Phys.org)—About 100 years ago, marine biologists hauled the first vampire squid up from the depths of the sea. Since that time, perhaps a dozen scientific papers have been published on this mysterious animal, but no one has been able to figure out exactly what it eats. A new paper by MBARI Postdoctoral Fellow Henk-Jan Hoving and Senior Scientist Bruce Robison shows for the first time that, unlike its relatives the octopuses and squids, which eat live prey, the vampire squid uses two thread-like filaments to capture bits of organic debris that sink down from the ocean surface into the deep sea. http://phys.org/news267849931.html Biology Wed, 26 Sep 2012 03:45:53 EST news267849931 Bioluminescence may play a key role in successful foraging for southern elephant seals, a deep-sea predator, according to research published Aug. 29 in the open access journal PLOS ONE. http://phys.org/news265478193.html Biology Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:00:04 EST news265478193 (Phys.org)—Visitors to the world's oceans are likely to find a wide variety of bioluminescent creatures, especially as they descend to depths where sunlight can't reach. The ability to glow has evolved in underwater organisms for a variety of reasons, from attracting prey to helping find a mate. On land however, things are very different. Other than 13 known species of insects, which of course include the firefly, very few other creatures have evolved the ability to glow and now, new research suggests that virtually all of them evolved much more recently than did marine dwellers. Peter Vršanský and colleagues from the Slovak Academy of Sciences have found after studying the collective history of all known bioluminescent species that land dwellers apparently evolved from a single source some sixty five million years ago, whereas their marine counterparts first came about closer to four hundred million years ago. Their paper describing their findings has been published in the journal Naturwissenschaften. http://phys.org/news264925527.html Biology Thu, 23 Aug 2012 07:40:04 EST news264925527 What do fireflies, nanorods and Christmas lights have in common? Someday, consumers may be able to purchase multicolor strings of light that don't need electricity or batteries to glow. Scientists in Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences found a new way to harness the natural light produced by fireflies (called bioluminescence) using nanoscience. Their breakthrough produces a system that is 20 to 30 times more efficient than those produced during previous experiments. http://phys.org/news258976840.html Nanotechnology Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:01:06 EST news258976840 They have their own lights, teeth, and weird names like vampire squid, stoplight loosejaws, and bristlemouth -- meet the weird denizens of the deep surfacing for an exhibition in New York starting this week. http://phys.org/news252154578.html Other Sciences Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:56:26 EST news252154578 Not all that glitters is gold. Sometimes it is just bacteria trying to get ahead in life. http://phys.org/news249500669.html Biology Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:44:55 EST news249500669 It has long been known that distinctive blue flashes -- a type of bioluminescence -- that are visible at night in some marine environments are caused by tiny, unicellular plankton known as dinoflagellates. However, a new study has, for the first time, detailed the potential mechanism for this bioluminesence. http://phys.org/news238220272.html Biology Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:18:11 EST news238220272 As night falls in certain mountain regions in California, a strange breed of creepy crawlies emerges from the soil: Millipedes that glow in the dark. The reason behind the glowing secret has stumped biologists until now. http://phys.org/news236259606.html Biology Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:40:44 EST news236259606 Two scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have provided the first details about the mysterious flashes of dazzling bioluminescent light produced by a little-known sea snail. http://phys.org/news211610954.html Biology Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:20:03 EST news211610954 For decades, scientists have speculated about why some fireflies exhibit synchronous flashing, in which large groups produce rhythmic, repeated flashes in unison - sometimes lighting up a whole forest at once. Now, the first experiments on the function of this phenomenon suggest that synchronous flashing preserves female fireflies' recognition of suitable mates. The results are reported in the July 9 issue of Science. http://phys.org/news197815725.html Biology Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:00:03 EST news197815725 (PhysOrg.com) -- Tiny Hawaiian bobtail squid use an unusual form of camouflage: they pack colonies of glowing bacteria into their bodies. Spencer Nyholm studies these invertebrates to understand how immune systems work. http://phys.org/news186851208.html Biology Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:07:17 EST news186851208 (PhysOrg.com) -- There are more than 2,000 species of fireflies around the world, many of which are best known for their bioluminescence. Fireflies, which are not flies but beetles, produce flashes of light in order to communicate with each other and to attract mates. The color of light emitted by the luceferin molecule in fireflies can range from red to yellow to green. However, the chemical and physical origin of firefly color variation is not well understood. http://phys.org/news182078718.html Chemistry Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:00:01 EST news182078718 By attaching light-emitting genes to infectious bacteria in an experimental system, researchers at University College, Cork, Ireland, have been able to track where in the body the bacteria go - giving an insight into the path of the infection process leading to the development of more targeted treatments. http://phys.org/news171693172.html Biology Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:37:15 EST news171693172 In 1991, Ge Wang produced the first paper on spiral cone-beam computed tomography (CT), now an imaging technique used in the mainstream of the medical CT field. Today, Wang, known as a pioneer in this field, and his colleagues have been awarded more than $1.3 million from the National Science Foundation to develop the next-generation nano-CT imaging system, which promises to greatly reduce the required dose of radiation. Virginia Tech and Xradia, a leading nano-CT company, are also collaborating on the project with a cost-sharing investment of close to $800,000. http://phys.org/news171194704.html Nanotechnology Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:30:02 EST news171194704 Detectives on television shows often spray crime scenes with a compound called luminol to make blood glow. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have applied the same compound to much smaller crime scenes: sites where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues. http://phys.org/news156952089.html Medicine & Health Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:49:27 EST news156952089