{"id":17680,"date":"2026-10-18T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/?p=17680"},"modified":"2026-10-17T11:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T16:46:12","slug":"you-light-up-my-lifeand-your-own-pt-2-of-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/2026\/10\/18\/you-light-up-my-lifeand-your-own-pt-2-of-3\/","title":{"rendered":"You Light Up My Life\u2026and Your Own (Pt. 2 of 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Question for you biologists: What do Virginia opossums<\/a>, bark scorpions<\/a>, Mexican free-tailed bats<\/a>, and a species of Javan orchid<\/a> have in common?<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answer: They are members of a vast population of organisms that exhibit something called <\/em>biofluorescence.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You may recall that I introduced this new series of posts at the end of September with a discussion of a phenomenon called bioluminescence<\/a>, which occurs through a chemical reaction that produces light energy within an organism’s body. Part 2 of this series will shine a light (!) on a similar phenomenon, biofluorescence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biofluorescence differs from bioluminescence in that the organisms that exhibit it do not generate light on their own. Instead, they absorb light (or radiation) from an external source, and then emit it at a different wavelength. Also unlike bioluminescence, biofluorescence is not the product of a chemical reaction<\/a>; it requires an external light source and an internal fluorescent biomolecular substance (which we’ll discuss in a moment; don’t be alarmed by the fancy words as the concept isn’t that complicated).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo:
A biofluorescent moray eel
Photo credit: Maarten De Brauwer, Senior Research Scientist at Southern Cross University<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition, biofluorescence is generally undetectable by the unaided human eye. But, as we shall see (!), the the equipment and conditions that allow us to detect glowing organisms are relatively simple and easy to obtain. But, first, let’s explore the mechanism by which biofluorescence occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How does biofluorescence work?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Excellent question…thanks for asking! Do you want the long answer [1]<\/strong><\/a><\/sup> or the short one? Never mind; I’m going to provide the latter, partially because I don’t fully understand the details of the former, but mainly because those details aren’t all that important for most of us (if, however, you’re doing post-graduate work in the field of Fluorescence Microscopy, feel free to check out the footnote linked above).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biofluorescence is the absorption of light by an organism at one wavelength followed by its reemission at a different wavelength. A molecule within the organism\u2019s cells absorbs short-wavelength, high-energy light such as ultraviolet (UV) or blue light, then releases some of that energy as longer-wavelength light such as yellow or red. While that may sound as though the organism is simply reflecting the incoming light, that isn\u2019t what\u2019s happening. The light is being absorbed, its energy is being changed, and a different wavelength of light is emitted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following illustration shows the range of wavelengths, from incredibly short cosmic rays to very long (1,000 miles or more) radio waves. It shows that visible light occupies a pretty tiny sliver of the overall spectrum (click to see a larger version).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Living organisms have within their cellular structure a molecular component called a chromophore<\/a>. The chromophore absorbs some wavelengths of incoming light, and allows others to be reflected or transmitted, which gives the organisms their color. Chlorophyll is an example; it’s a collection of molecules in which chromophores capture light for use in photosynthesis. It strongly absorbs light in the blue and red wavelengths; the green wavelength is less strongly absorbed and is reflected or transmitted [2]<\/sup><\/a><\/strong>, thus giving many plants that color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is not<\/em> biofluorescence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n