T h e   B i o l u m i n e s c e n c e  W e b  P a g e
		A N N O U N C E M E N T S   (Updated:  Sep 17, 2009 )   Celebrating our 10th anniversary. Content of interest: NEWS: A group of deep-sea worms with bioluminescent "bombs" has been discovered. One of the many news articles is here Bioluminescence from space. Using a satellite, scientists have detected a huge "milky sea" of bioluminescent bacteria. Our Mail Bag section is currently online! Here we post answers to questions that have been sent to us over the years. Read about the controversial discovery of an angler jellyfish -- a siphonophore which uses light to lure fish. Read more about the site and see some of the other pages linking to us at the bottom of the About page.   Bioluminescence is simply light produced by a chemical reaction which originates in an organism. It can be expected anytime and in any region or depth in the sea. Its most common occurrence to the sailor is in the often brilliantly luminescent bow wave or wake of a surface ship. In these instances the causal organisms are almost always dinoflagellates, single-cell algae, often numbering many hundreds per liter. They are mechanically excited to produce light by the ship's passage or even by the movement of porpoises and smaller fish. The deep-sea fish Aristostomias has more than one light organ. Read more about this and other amazing adaptations.   (Illustration © Steven Haddock) Bioluminescence is a primarily marine phenomenon. It is the predominant source of light in the largest fraction of the habitable volume of the earth, the deep ocean . In contrast, bioluminescence is essentially absent (with a few exceptions) in fresh water, even in Lake Baikal. On land it is most commonly seen as glowing fungus on wood (called foxfire), or in the few families of luminous insects. (For firefly information, try here.) Bioluminescence has evolved many times in the sea as evidenced by the several distinct chemical mechanisms by which light is emitted and the large number of only distantly related taxonomic groups that have many bioluminescent members. Bioluminescent bacteria occur nearly everywhere, and probably most spectacularly as the rare "milky sea" phenomenon, particularly in the Indian Ocean where mariners report steaming for hours through a sea glowing with a soft white light as far as the eye can see. Find out more about the basic properties of bioluminescence.   This page is continually being revised. Send suggestions, questions and comments to the BL Web administrators ().  [Download printable PDF version of this page]
About the page  |  Research Forum  |  Organisms  |   Chemistry  |  Contribute   |  Photos  Send comments to          Last modified:  Sep 17, 2009

`