First South American insect that emits blue light is discovered

Brazilian researchers have discovered a new species of fungus gnat (Keroplatidae) whose larvae emit blue light. The small fly inhabits an Atlantic Rainforest reserve in São Paulo State. This is the first record of a blue ...

Researchers describe a new fireworm bioluminescence system

A collaborative effort by an international team of scientists has led to to the discovery of a new luciferin from fireworm. The characterization of three key low-molecular-weight components of its bioluminescence system, ...

Bioluminescent substance discovered in Brazilian cave worm larva

An insect larva found in the caves of Intervales State Park, an Atlantic Rainforest remnant in the municipality of Ribeirão Grande, São Paulo State, Brazil, was initially of no interest to the research group led by biochemist ...

A step ahead in pharmaceutical research

Hormones and other neurotransmitters, but also drugs, act upon receptors. "Their active substances bind to the receptors and modify the three-dimensional receptor arrangement regulating the downstream signal pathways," says ...

Light receptors determine the behaviour of flashlight fish

Biologists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum characterized new, unknown photoreceptors from the bioluminescent flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron. The photoreceptors known as opsins allow the fish to detect light with a specific ...

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