by SourceBioluminescent organisms live throughout the water column, from the surface to the seafloor, from near the coast to the open ocean.
In the deep sea, bioluminescence is extremely common, and because the deep sea is so vast, bioluminescence may be the most common form of communication on the planet!
Animals can closely control when they light up by regulating their chemistry and brain processes depending on their immediate needs, whether a meal or a mate.
Some organisms even bundle the luciferin with oxygen in what is called a “photoprotein”—like a pre-packaged bioluminescence bomb—that is ready to light up the moment a certain ion (typically calcium) becomes present.
They can even choose the intensity and color of the lights.
In the deep sea, bioluminescence is extremely common, and because the deep sea is so vast, bioluminescence may be the most common form of communication on the planet!
Animals can closely control when they light up by regulating their chemistry and brain processes depending on their immediate needs, whether a meal or a mate.
Some organisms even bundle the luciferin with oxygen in what is called a “photoprotein”—like a pre-packaged bioluminescence bomb—that is ready to light up the moment a certain ion (typically calcium) becomes present.
They can even choose the intensity and color of the lights.
