In their paper published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, the group describes their search for fluorescence in marine creatures over the course of three years in both the Red Sea and the Banda Sea.

Prior research has shown that some marine creatures have bioluminescence, which is the ability to produce light. Other creatures have something else, called fluorescence, where all or parts of them shine brighter than normal when certain types of light are focused on them.

In this new study, the research team used a "Sola" light source, which is used for illuminating targets of microscopy, to find fluorescence in sea creatures.

Fluorescence can be observed when certain molecules absorb certain wavelengths of light and then re-emit that light at longer wavelengths. Marine creatures with fluorescence gain a reproductive advantage because it allows them to absorb the limited amount of light that is available to them underwater and emit light that is more visible at deeper depths, making it possible for others to see them.