Bioluminescence is the production of light from an organism by a chemical reaction. (all authors) It is utilized by terrestrial and marine organisms, for predatorial, attractive, protective, communicative, and identification advantages. (first one) The cookie-cutter shark utilizes an illuminated underside to attract prey. (first) Bioluminescence can create a strong flash of light for protection against a predator. Bioluminescence is a primarily marine phenomenon. In contrast, bioluminescence is essentially absent (with a few exceptions) in fresh water, even in Lake Baikal. On land it is most commonly seen as glowing fungus on wood (called foxfire), or in some luminous insects. The light intensity is usually highest at night and lowest during …show more content…
Bioluminescence is found in many marine organisms including, bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish, and shark. Animals take in bacteria or other bioluminescent creatures to gain the ability to light up, or the animal contains the chemicals necessary for the reaction that produces bioluminescence. The metabolic reaction that combines the oxygen with a reducing substance (luciferin) liberates sufficient energy to excite a molecule in the organism to emit visible radiation. Among crustaceans, luminous species are especially remarkable in the copepods, shrimps, and ostracods. Some shrimps (Hoplophorus) emit a luminous secretion from luminous organs, while others possess true light organs (photophores), which consist of a lens, reflector, and light-emitting photogenic cells. Bioluminescence occurs through a chemical reaction that produces light energy within an organism's body. A species must contain luciferin which produces light when it reacts with oxygen, produces light. There are different types of luciferin, which vary depending on the organism hosting the reaction, and sometimes utilize the catalyst luciferase, which helps to speed up the
Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was originally isolated from a bioluminescent jellyfish called Aequorea victoria. As suggested by the name, this protein fluoresces green when exposed to light in the ultraviolet range. The ultimate goal of the following experiment was to successfully create a pET41a(+)/EGFP recombinant plasmid that was transformed into live E. coli cells. The success of this transformation could be evaluated based on whether EGFP’s fluorescence properties were displayed by the colony in question. The protein’s fluorescence properties “triggered the widespread and growing use of GFP as a reporter for gene expression and protein localization in a broad variety of organisms” (Ormo, et. al., 1996). Although EGFP and GFP differ for a few amino acids that make EGFP’s fluorescence mildly stronger, the basic principle that such a protein allows for the evaluation of transformation success remains intact.
Ryazantseva, I. N., Saakov, V. S., Andreyeva, I. N., Ogorodnikova, T. I. and Zuev, Y. F. 2012. Response of pigmented Serratia marcescens to the illumination. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 106 p. 18-23
The plasmid pGLO contains the GFP gene which can only be activated while in the presence of arabinose. The plasmid also contains an ampicillin resistance gene, which explains why bacterial cells transformed with pGLO can survive when ampicillin is present. GFP is a protein that is found in jellyfish, and is known for emitting a green fluorescent light. In vitro, it is able to fluoresce this green color by releasing photons from being in an excited energy state. The energy was provided by a UV light at the end of this experiment. Jellyfish can fluoresce this green on their own because in vivo, GFP works with another protein that allows the GFP to fluoresce without being in an excited energy
Overview of Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis Written by Cheril Tague South University Online Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis are both cellular processes in which organisms use energy. However, photosynthesis converts the light obtained from the sun and turns it into a chemical energy of sugar and oxygen. Cellular respiration is a biochemical process in which the energy is obtained from chemical bonds from food. They both seem the same since they are essential to life, but they are very different processes and not all living things use both to survive ("Difference Between Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration", 2017). In this paper I will go over the different processes for photosynthesis and the processes for cellular respiration and how they are like each other and how they are essential to our everyday life.
Throughout the duration of the book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, I was always thinking about how the split seconds decisions could be beneficial, and how if there was a down side to the snap judgments. At the very end of the book, I read a quote that I stuck with me for the remainder of the book and in my thoughts following. This quote was something that stood out to me, and something that equated to exactly what I was thinking.
An example would be the firefly squid, which has thousands of photophores, or organs that emit a deep blue
Albinism is a genetic condition present at birth, characterized by a small amount of melanin pigment in the skin, hair and eye. Albinism is an occasional inborn sickness related with vision difficult, which affect one in seventeen thousand persons. It is not a contagious disease and cannot be spread over contact. Albinism affects individuals from all races. Most folks with albinism have parents with a normal color of skin. Some may not even recognize that they are Albino until later on in their life. This paper will be based on the study of albinism, causes, types, the genetic transmission and some possible medical problem.
The absorption of light in the form of photons through the thylakoid membrane into the lumen is the first step of photosynthesis. This photons absorbed through the lumen go through photochemical reduction in which they are absorbed into pigments such as chlor...
The outer layer of a reef consists of living animals, or polyps, of coral. Single-celled algae called zooxanthellae live within the coral polyps, and a skeleton containing filamentous green algae surrounds them. The photosynthetic zooxanthellae and green algae transfer food energy directly to the coral polyps, while acquiring scarce nutrients from the coral. The numerous micro habitats of coral reefs and the high biological productivity support a great diversity of other life.
What they do is produce light (bioluminescence) that helps the squid camouflage itself at night. The squid has a special way of sensing how much moonlight is coming down, and then using a shutter, can control how much light comes out. This makes the squid not cast a shadow, making it harder for predators and prey to see it. During the day, the squid pumps out the dead bacteria, and the process starts again. What her team did was look at how these bacteria produced their light. When they were in a dilute solution with very few bacteria, then they did not produce light. But when there were many bacteria, they did produce light. The reason this happened is because the bacteria produce these chemical messengers called Quorums, which help the bacteria know how much of them there
Photosynthetic pigments are essential for life because they allow photosynthesis to occur by capturing sunlight which is then used alongside carbon dioxide and water to form organic compounds such as glucose and oxygen. The pigments allow the conversion of light energy to chemical energy which other organisms can benefit from. Oxygen is utilised by other organisms in aerobic respiration. The different pigments present in the chloroplasts allow a wide variety of wavelengths of light to be absorbed for efficient photosynthesis and provide colours to the plant to attract pollinators.
What is a blue light filter? The evidence just keeps on piling up – excessive exposure to blue light is harmful. Blue light suppresses the production of melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone produced by the brain’s pineal gland. While this is a welcome effect during the day, exposure to blue light at night suppresses sleep and can lead to insomnia, fatigue and general disruption of the sleep cycle.
In plants, proteins called photosynthetic reaction centers contain green chlorophyll that absorbs light energy. These proteins are held inside organelles called chloroplasts, which is abundant in leaf cells. In contrast, bacteria house the proteins in the plasma membrane. Chloroplasts are found in the cells of green plants and photosynthetic algae where photosynthesis takes place. Inside the chloroplast are folded structures in disk-shaped arrangement called thylakoids, which enclose chlorophyll in their membrane. Only certain portions of the light spectrum can be absorbed and the photosynthetic action spectrum is dependent on the type of accessory pigment present. Green plants mostly absorb red and blue wavelengths because the action spectrum corresponds to absorption spectrum for chlorophylls and carotenoids. The color of the pigment comes from the wavelengths of light reflected. Plants appear green because they reflect yellow and green wavelengths of light. Photosynthesis involves two series of chemical events, called the light independent that occurs in the stroma and light dependent reactions that occurs in the lumen. They are also known as light and dark reactions this terminology is somewhat ambiguous, because the entire process of photosynthesis is regulated to take place when an organism absorbs visible light. Organized clusters of chlorophyll and beta-carotene in the thylakoid membrane are present to
Many people don't know what biomedical engineers do. A biomedical engineer’s job is actually quite interesting. They analyze and create solutions to improving the quality and effectiveness of patient care. They also design technology to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. They have a big role in helping people begin new lives. The main job of a biomedical engineer is to help create prosthetic limbs or organs for those who are in need of one.
According to the Merriam-Webster, light pollution is “light from cities, vehicles, etc., that makes it difficult to see things in the sky (such as stars) at night.” This means that irregular lightning cut off, unnecessary lighting, misdirected lighting, and excessively powerful wattage all takes the responsibility of creating light impurity. Light pollution may come in different names such as sky glow, photo pollution, and luminous pollution.