Bioluminescence

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Bioluminescence
by Anoushka Sinha \| 21-01-2021 09:24 0
Bioluminescence Hello everyone, today I will talk about a topic that I am extremely fascinated with, I came to know about it since I was really young through stories but I didn’t know that it was a real thing that was given red by science. Have you ever heard of fireflies ? I guess yes, in books, or movies. Well the one thing that we were all fascinated about in fireflies was the shiny, golden light that came out of it. Have you ever wondered how an insect or fly emit light does it involve the same phenomenon as the light bulb well actually no. The nature has mysterious creations and this creation of emission of light is Bioluminescence. “It means production and emission of light by a living organism”. It is a form of chemiluminescence.Now let’s see where it occurs mostly- Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, in dinoflagellates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some bioluminescent bacteria, and terrestrial arthropods such as fireflies. Now let’s go a little deep as to why this happens, upon learning in a chemistry class about block elements I came across the component luciferin well what is it. Let’s see, “bioluminescence involves a light-emitting molecule and an enzyme, generally called luciferin and luciferase, respectively. Because these are generic names, luciferins and luciferases are often distinguished by including the species or group, e.g. firefly luciferin. In all characterized cases, the enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of the luciferin.” If you are a chemistry student you would have heard of Robert Boyle, he was the same chemist that showed how this phenomenon also included the presence of oxygen in it. Now that we are well aware of how this works let’s see how it helps and affects the environment. The bioluminescence has several features most important one is it is used as defence mechanism, misdirection, distraction, and warning to alert settler can be used to stun or confuse prey, and also mate. We know how bioluminescence is beneficial to the animals but have you wondered if it’s used somewhere else also, yes it is used in the field of Biotechnology. Bioluminescent organisms are a target for many areas of research. Luciferase systems are widely used in genetic engineering, each producing a different colour by fluorescence and for biomedical research using bioluminescence imaging. These organisms that are bioluminescent are also being investigated for the purpose of light production as this bioluminescence could be used to reduce the need for traditional lighting. Sources quoted- wikipedia, ocean.si.edu I was extremely excited to learn about this new phenomenon and I hope you are too. Let me know where you first learnt about fireflies and how did this article change your perspective on the bioluminescence. Green Cheers, Anoushka

Dormant user Anoushka Sinha

5 Comments

Asmita Gaire says :
Greetings anouskha
I hope you are doing well
Thank you so much for this report
Keep writing
Green cheers
Regards
Asmita Gaire
Posted 13-02-2021 14:23

SJ Mentor says :
Hello Anoushka!
It's your SJ mentor.

Warm greetings from Korea!
Thank you for writing an interesting report under the theme of bio-emitting.
Fireflies are known to be a famous endangered species in Korea.
There is a tour program where you can meet fireflies in clean areas of the suburbs.
Light pollution caused by excessive light and pesticides are causing extinction.
I think several regions should be designated as a protected area so that nature remains without urbanization.
It is hoped that technology for bioluminescence will be developed so that light can be generated in an eco-friendly way.

Keep sharing!

Best regards,
SJ mentor.
Posted 01-02-2021 05:24

Dolma Diki Sherpa says :
Greetings from Nepal

Wow such a wonderful and informative report regarding bioluminescence. It is really interesting and new topic for me.

Keep writing keep sharing

Regards
Dolma
Posted 27-01-2021 09:51

Mun WooJooMentor says :
Hello Anoushka,
this is your mentor Woojoo.

I hope you are doing well.
Thank you for sharing such an informative report about Bioluminescence.
I heard that due to rise in temperature, Sea Sparkles are being found in unusual places, such as Mexico or even South Korea, which is not a positive effect.
The Green fluorescence protein , GFP, are being used in investigating genetic expression system, mainly used as target markers.
It is sad that fireflies are no more observed in my country, and hopefully we can investigate ways to bring them back by providing these creatures a clearer ecosystem.
By the way, I remember going to a tour in Philippines in which I saw hundreds of fireflies flying over the trees, which was amazing!

Keep sharing

Regards,
Woojoo
Posted 25-01-2021 22:41