Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Bioluminescence is the emission of light during a chemiluminescence reaction by living organisms. [1] Bioluminescence occurs in diverse organisms ranging from marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some bioluminescent bacteria, dinoflagellates and terrestrial arthropods such as fireflies.
Luciferase is a generic term for the class of oxidative enzymes that produce bioluminescence, and is usually distinguished from a photoprotein.The name was first used by Raphaël Dubois who invented the words luciferin and luciferase, for the substrate and enzyme, respectively. [1]
Firefly luciferase bioluminescence color can vary between yellow-green (λ max = 550 nm) to red (λ max = 620). [6] There are currently several different mechanisms describing how the structure of luciferase affects the emission spectrum of the photon and effectively the color of light emitted.
Based on this observation, bioluminescence is believed to have evolved independently at least 40 times. [16] In bioluminescent bacteria, the reclassification of the members ofVibrio fischeri species group as a new genus, Aliivibrio, has led to increased interest in the evolutionary origins of bioluminescence [16].
Noctiluca scintillans, a bioluminescent dinoflagellate. Bioluminescence is the production of light by living organisms. This list of bioluminescent organisms is organized by the environment, covering terrestrial, marine, and microorganisms.
Long exposure image of bioluminescence of N. scintillans in the yacht port of Zeebrugge, Belgium Kayaking in the Bioluminescent Bay, Vieques, Puerto Rico. At night, water can have an appearance of sparkling light due to the bioluminescence of dinoflagellates.
Photobiology is the scientific study of the beneficial and harmful interactions of light (technically, non-ionizing radiation) in living organisms. [1] The field includes the study of photophysics, photochemistry, photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, visual processing, circadian rhythms, photomovement, bioluminescence, and ultraviolet radiation effects.
They are non-thermal in origin, and the emission of biophotons is technically a type of bioluminescence, though the term "bioluminescence" is generally reserved for higher luminance systems (typically with emitted light visible to the naked eye, using biochemical means such as luciferin/luciferase).