Fireflies' summer evening light shows are a delight for humans, but for the insects they are a crucial mating ritual – and human-caused light pollution is a buzz kill.
New noninvasive imaging device could be used in biomedical research, translational medicine
A biochemical reaction between an enzyme called luciferase and oxygen causes fireflies to glow and is considered one of the most well-known examples of bioluminescence in nature.
Now, an international team of researchers led by Elena Goun at the University of Missouri is working to harness the power of bioluminescence in a low-cost, noninvasive portable medical imaging device that could one day be applied to many uses in biomedical research, translational medicine and clinical diagnoses.
Potential uses include developing better treatments for cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases, along with monitoring various metabolic functions, such as gut health, in both animals and humans, said Goun, an associate professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Science and corresponding author on the study published in
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The blue tears are caused by bioluminescent organisms, which glow with a blue hue.
Unregulated tourism caused the phenomenon to diminish, among other environmental problems, prompting the authorities to order the island closed to visitors.
“The white sandy beach has also improved greatly, and the flora that were damaged due to development before have also been rehabilitated.
“At the moment we are still seeking approval for the islands to be opened, but since there is interstate travel restriction now, we will wait for the borders to be opened first, ” Nolee told a press conference after the Geopark community pre-launching at the Tanjung Tualang tin dredge on Friday (April 23).
Updated 18 mins ago
Sure, you ve heard of storm chasers.
That s just not much of an option for Southern California photographers, really. Last year, however, when a red tide s bacteria lit up the coastline from Ventura to Baja in electric blue light, a bioluminescence chaser was born.
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Patrick Coyne, a photographer and videographer from Torrance, caught the bug bad last year. It hit just as the pandemic shut everything else down, so he spent weeks traveling up and down the coast with his adventure buddy Mark Girardeau, eventually capturing now-iconic images of dolphins playing in the fluorescent-blue waves. He ended the season, as it were, in San Diego in May, shooting video and stills of the Scripps Pier bathed along its 1,00-plus foot length in a beautiful glow from the waves and pier s sodium light. Blue and orange, folks that s just Color Wheel 101.