Using genetic discoveries based on modern bioluminescent organisms, scientists have estimated coral bioluminescence to have originated in the Cambrian period, about 540 million years ago.

A new study resets the timing for the emergence of bioluminescence back to millions of years earlier than previously thought. By Sam Jones Bioluminescence is used throughout the animal kingdom ...

They are a diverse and ancient group of animals that includes some 3,500 species, many of which are bioluminescent. Octocorals can create coral gardens and animal forests in the oceans, particularly ...

The bamboo coral Isidella displaying bioluminescence in the Caribbean in 2009. Sönke Johnsen, CC BY-ND Our research focuses on octocorals – soft-bodied corals such as sea fans that have treelike ...

Even before emerging in species such as Moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita), photographed above, bioluminescence first developed in species of coral. From fireflies to glow worms, algae to squid ...

such as among coral, or for predation. Notably, “biofluorescence” isn’t like bioluminescence (what fireflies can do) and cannot be turned on and off. It simply refers to how they reflect ...

For bioluminescence on Pandora, the team used Earth’s dinoflagellates as the foundation. Dinoflagellates are single-celled organisms in coral reefs, and create bioluminescence themselves.

“With their unique traits like bioluminescent lures and large oral ... They looked at coastal species like frogfish, who live in coral reef environments with their counterparts in the deep ...

While bioluminescent proteins offer several advantages over fluorescent proteins, the limited availability of color variants has made it difficult to observe multiple targets simultaneously.

Using genetic findings from these organisms and previous studies, they estimated that coral bioluminescence originated about 540 million years ago in the Cambrian period, making them the earliest ...

They are a diverse and ancient group of animals that includes some 3,500 species, many of which are bioluminescent. Octocorals can create coral gardens and animal forests in the oceans ...