Learn the glowing mechanism of fireflies

Certainly everyone used to have a childhood attached to a bug named fireflies, a light flickering every night that any child is interested and curious. But why fireflies can glow like that is not well known, all thanks to a compound called luciferin.

How do fireflies glow?

Fireflies glow themselves because of a biochemical reaction.(fireflyexperience.org)

The glow in fireflies is due to a kind of chemical reaction called biolumiescence . This process occurs in specialized light-emitting organs, usually located under the fireflies abdomen. The luciferase enzyme acts on luceferin, in the presence of magnesium, ATP, and oxygen ions to create light.

The glowing organ is made up of several layers of small cells that reflect light and a layer of glowing cells. Glowing cells are controlled by nerve and gas tubes; oxygen is provided by luciferin metabolic tubes of glowing cells into oxyluciferin. This oxidation process is catalyzed by the luciferase enzyme that releases energy in the form of light. Insects control the glow by regulating the amount of air supplied to the cell.

The coast is bright because of jellyfish.

All kinds of fireflies glow from the larval period. Biolumiescence is used for a particular function in firefly larvae rather than adults. It appears as a warning signal to predators, from synthetic chemicals in firefly larvae, they become irritating and toxic.

The genes coding for these substances are inserted into many separate organs. Luciferase fireflies are often in forensics , and enzymes have medical applications - specifically to detect the reactions of ATP or magnesium. Renaissance painters used a dried firefly powder to create a photosensitive mixture.

Basically, this glowing mechanism appears in other animals such as jellyfish and scientists claim that almost all living organisms can emit an extremely weak light, Even humans have this ability . This is the result of biochemical reactions.