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Fireflies flicker and flash as they dart through their mating dances, all the while transforming a lovely summer night into a magical evening. While the bioluminescence that allows these insects to glow and gain the moniker “lightning bugs” creates wonder in humans, it is a not-uncommon feature in the animal world, especially for fish and other marine species.
National Geographic defines bioluminescence as light that occurs from the reaction between two chemicals within a living organism: the compound luciferin and either luciferase or photoprotein. The ability to produce light is not just a flashy feature; bioluminescence can give the animal a competitive advantage. For example, deep-sea vampire squids eject glowing mucus to startle predators, and hatchet fish use light-producing organs to adjust reflections off their bodies, masking themselves to prey who are hunting them from below. Other animals that glow or flash to get ahead at sea and on land include plankton, coral, and glowworms.
For decades, scientists and medical researchers studied bioluminescence in nature and have adapted fluorescent genes as biomarkers for many applications. That is how GloFish found their way into home aquariums across the country.
