Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. The discovery of bioluminescent sand on a San Diego beach ...

Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago in a group of marine invertebrates called octocorals, according to the results of a new study from scientists with the ...

Stephen has degrees in science (Physics major) and arts (English Literature and the History and Philosophy of Science), as well as a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication. Stephen has degrees in ...

Humans have long been fascinated by organisms that can produce light. Aristotle, who was a scientist as well as a philosopher, wrote the first detailed descriptions of what he called “cold light” more ...

Hundreds of plants, fungi, and animals can do it. Now scientists think bioluminescence may have evolved 540 million years ago in Earth’s ancient oceans. Research suggests that bioluminescence may have ...

Have you ever wondered how some animals glow in the dark? Bioluminescence is a natural ability in particular living creatures to produce light. It happens through a chemical reaction inside their ...

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Written by Danielle DeLeo, postdoctoral associate in biological sciences at FIU. Our research focuses on octocorals ...

The splendid deep-sea coral Iridogorgia sp. Deep-sea octocorals that are known to be bioluminescent. Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at ...