News tagged with bioluminescence
Scientists Investigate How Fireflies Emit Different Colors of Light
(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 ...
Jan 07, 2010 |
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Scientists see the light in bizarre bioluminescent snail
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.
Dec 15, 2010 |
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Fireflies blink in synch to send a uniform message (w/ Video)
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. ...
Jul 08, 2010 |
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Glow-in-the-dark millipede says 'stay away'
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 ...
Sep 26, 2011 |
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Explanation for glowing seas suggested
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. ...
Oct 19, 2011 |
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TV crime drama compound highlights immune cells' misdeeds
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 ...
Medicine & Health / Medical research
Mar 22, 2009 |
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Glow and be eaten: Marine bacteria use light to lure plankton and fish
Not all that glitters is gold. Sometimes it is just bacteria trying to get ahead in life.
Feb 26, 2012 |
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Glowing Squid Illuminate Immune System Function
(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 ...
Mar 03, 2010 |
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In sync: Squid, glowing companions march in genetic harmony
(PhysOrg.com) -- Most humans are blissfully unaware that we owe our healthful existence to trillions of microbes that make their home in the nooks and crannies of the human body, primarily the gut.
Jan 19, 2010 |
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Creatures from the deep surface in NY exhibit
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.
Mar 28, 2012 |
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Adenosine triphosphate detection in living cells with carbon nanotubes and luciferase
(PhysOrg.com) -- All living cells require a fuel to function: adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cell "gasoline". Detecting ATP within cells can help researchers observe energetic physiological processes, such as signal cascades ...
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Feb 12, 2010 |
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Shining a light on disease -- tracking light-emitting bacteria during infection
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 ...
Sep 09, 2009 |
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Virginia Tech's proposed next generation nano-CT system will enhance nano-scale research
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, ...
Sep 03, 2009 |
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Living buildings could mop up carbon dioxide
(PhysOrg.com) -- Architecture could help us tackle climate change, if we start to design our buildings with 'living' materials, according to Dr Rachel Armstrong, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture.
Nov 27, 2009 |
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Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in the form of light emission. Fireflies, anglerfish, and other creatures produce the chemicals luciferin (a pigment) and luciferase (an enzyme). The luciferin reacts with oxygen to create light. The luciferase acts as a catalyst to speed up the reaction, which is sometimes mediated by cofactors such as calcium ions or ATP. The chemical reaction can occur either inside or outside the cell. In bacteria, the expression of genes related to bioluminescence is controlled by an operon called the Lux operon.
Bioluminescence occurs in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as microorganisms and terrestrial animals. Symbiotic organisms carried within larger organisms are also known to bioluminesce.
For more information about Bioluminescence, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
