"My Planet" tells about an amazing phenomenon - glowing living beings and about where and when they can be seen.
About 800 species of creatures on the planet are glowing in the dark, like light bulbs. It is all famous fireflies, and some earthworms, and underwater inhabitants - deep-sea fish, jellyfish, squid. Some organisms are glowing constantly, and some are capable only for short flashes. Some shine with all the body, others have special "lanterns" and "beacons" for this.
Light is used by organisms for various purposes: to attract mining and partners, to disguise, scareware and disorienting enemies or simply to communicate with tribesmen.
The ability of living beings emit light is called bioluminescence. It is based on a chemical reaction caused by the presence of certain substances and accompanied by emission of energy. Scientists took up the study of bioluminescence only at the end of the XIX century, and still many questions and mysteries remain in this area. We will talk about the most amazing luminous beings that inhabit our planet.
Fireless
Representatives of the Svetlykov family (and their about 2,000 species) are saturated with spectacular illumination at night using their luminous instrument on pairing and communications with each other. Not only adults are capable of glowing, but also eggs and larvae. The light of representatives of different species is distinguished by shades and character: from red-yellow to green, from continuous to pulsating. Many species of these beetles can adjust the light in their "light bulbs": shine bright or dimly, gathering together, flare and go out at the same time. Especially cunning females of the American Firefly PhotoRis Versicolor: First, they emit light signals to attract males of their species, and mating with them, change the calls signs for the lubrication of the males of another species - already in gastronomic purposes.
On the example of fireflies, it is possible to understand how the bioluminescence process occurs as a whole: in the beetle's abdomen there are photogenic cells containing small molecules - lucyfin. Under the influence of a special enzyme - luciferase, their oxidation occurs with the release of energy (for the reaction it is necessary for the presence of oxygen, adenosinerphosphate and magnesium ions). At the same time, the energy does not go to heating, such as incandescent light bulb, and almost entirely goes into cold light. The CPD "Light Bulbs" Firefly reaches 98%, despite the fact that the usual incandescent lamp is capable of turning only 5% of energy into the light. Light from 38 beetles can compete with a flame of a medium wax candle.
In many countries, people used fireflies as light sources until the invention of Edison. Aboriginal Central and South America decorated themselves and dwellings with fireflies in the days of ritual holidays. Amazon Indians tied fire beetles to the legs, hoping to scare away poisonous snakes in the jungle. Portuguese colonized by Brazil, put the beetles in the lamp near the icons instead of the oil. Japanese geisha stuffed wicker vessels - a spectacular night lights were obtained. Fishing of fireflies and loving them - long-standing entertainment of the Japanese.
Where to see: For example, you can come to the Japanese Yuyake Koyake Farm in June (half an hour from Tokyo), where about 2,500 crickets live.
Medusa
Medusa Aequorea Victoria has become a celebrity thanks to the Japanese scientist Osama Simomour: he became interested in her glow back in the 50s, for decades, I caught the buckets of such jellyfish and explored about 9,000 copies. As a result, green protein (GFP) was allocated from jellyfish in the laboratory, which fluoresizes greenish light when illuminated by its blue light. It seemed like Sisy influence, until genetic engineering appeared and the use of GFP was not found: now this gene can be implanted into living organisms and to see what is happening in cells. For this, the opening of Simomer in 2008 received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Where to see: At the western coast of North America.
Luminous worms
Luminescent worms live in the Siberian Earth. They have glowing points throughout the body, react with a blue-green light on various stimuli (mechanical, chemical, electrical), are capable of glowing to ten minutes, gradually fading. Amazing worms called Fridericia Heliota, discovered and studied scientists from Krasnoyarsk. Having received a Megagrant to create a laboratory of bioluminescent biotechnologies in the Siberian Federal University, they invited that Osama Simomor himself and were able to decipher the structure of the luminous protein of worms and even synthesize it in the laboratory. This year they published the results of their perennial research. The worms of scientists collected themselves, shifting tons of Siberian soil.
Where to see: In the Siberian Taiga at night.
Farms Komarov
ARACHNOCAMPA mushroom mosquitoes spend from six months to the year of life in a state of the larvae, and in the case of Komara live only one or two days. Being larvae, they fly from silk to the catless networks, like spiders, and highlight them with their own blue-green light. As a result of their colony on the walls and ceilings, the caves look like a starry sky. The hungry larvae, the brighter they light, attracting the prey - small insects.
Where to see: In the Australian and New Zealand caves - especially popular with tourists of different countries, boat excursions in Waitomo caves.
Ratchies
During World War II, the Japanese gathered small seashest disrespects of Cypridina Hilgendorfii and used them for lighting at night. These natural light bulbs turn on very simple: it is enough to wet them with water.
Where to see: in the coastal waters and sands of Japan.
Fish
In the depths of the oceans, amazing glowing fish, equipped with special organs - photofractions. This gland-lanterns, which can be located anywhere: on the head, back, on the sides, around the eyes or mouth, on the mustache or body processes. They are filled with mucus, inside which bioluminescent bacteria glow. It is curious that the fish itself can control the glow of bacteria, narrowing or expanding the vessels - oxygen is needed for flashes of light. The most interesting of glowing fish are deep-sea riders living at a depth of about 3 km under water. In females that can reach a meter in length, there is a special fishing rod with a "beacon" at the end: it is the light that attracts prey to it. The most advanced look of the beautiful galatheathauma axeli, the bottom Galateatauma has a light "bait" right in the mouth. She does not need to hunt - just open the mouth and swallow prey.
Another colorful fish is a black dragon (Malacosteus Niger). Related by the fact that red light emits with the help of special "spotlights" under the eyes. The light is not visible almost to anyone from the deep-sea ocean inhabitants, and the fish can calmly illuminate the path, remaining unnoticed.
Where to see: Deep in the ocean.
Squid
There are about 70 bioluminescent species among squid. The largest luminous creature in the world is the giant squid Taningia Danae - the scientist managed to see a 4-m in length of 2.3 m and weighing 60 kg. Light organs are located on his tentacles. Scientists assume that squid emits outbreaks of light to blind the victim and measure the distance to the target. In 2007, a team from the National Museum of Science Tokyo took a fragment of a squid-giant hunting fragment that dwells at a depth of up to 1000 m.
Another amazing chaporing - VampyrTeuthis Infernalis Calmar-vampire. Because of the extraordinary glow bodies, he was allocated by scientists in a separate detachment. In addition to the two major photophor, he has small glowing "lanterns" throughout the body, besides, he knows how to produce a foul veil from the tips, consisting of numerous blue luminous balls. This powerful weapon in the fight against the enemy is valid to ten minutes and allows the squid to hide in case of danger. It is curious that the underwater vampire can adjust the brightness and size of the color stain.
Where to see: In early March, Hallechishchi squid-fireflies Watasenia lives in Japan near the coast of Toyama Bay. These small creatures live in the western part of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 350 m and in the spring they are spawned to the surface, arranging light-imaging for tourists.
Firewelt
Flashing, or pyros, is sea free-peeling colonial creatures from the class of shells. They consist of thousands of small organisms - zooids. Each of them has bacterial glowing bodies, thanks to which the whole colony is lumines the bluish-green light, visible at a distance of more than 30 m. It floats this animal, similar to a giant worm, a closed end, and an adult could fit in the inner cavity. The underwater monster can grow up to 30 m in length. Biologists are called Piros by sea unicorn, as they are one of the most mysterious and poorly studied creatures on the planet.
Where to see: Waters near the Australian Island of Tasmania are one of the few places on the planet, where the flares sail close to the shore. In 2011, Michael Baron filmed on the video of the 18-meter unicorn video.
Green animals
Thanks to the protein selected from jellyfish, animals glowed with green light when illuminated by ultraviolet. In 1998, the first green mouse with the GFP genome appeared, then scientists presented the world of green pigs and sheep, glowing multicolored Glofish fish and genetically modified silkworms that produce fluorescent silk. Scientists hope that colored genes will help to fight diseases, such as HIV, oncology, Parkinson and Alzheimer's disease.
V. Lunkevich.
Valerian Viktorovich Lunkevich (1866-1941) - a biologist, a teacher, an outstanding popularizer.
Fig. 1. Overnight "Sea Candle".
Fig. 3. Fish-fishing.
Fig. 4. Glowing fish.
Fig. 6. Coral branch with luminous polyps.
Fig. 5. Glowing challenge mollusk.
Fig. 7. Fireless female.
Fig. 8. The glow body at a pile mollusk: a - a light part resembling a lens; b - the inner layer of luminous cells; in - layer of silvery cells; G is a layer of dark pigment cells.
Which of us did not have to admire the warm summer evening with greenish lights of the Svetlykov, the arrow of the dispersion air in different directions? But many do not know that not only some bugs are endowed with the ability to glow, but also other animals, especially the inhabitants of the seas and oceans?
Everyone who spent the summer on the Black Sea shore, more than once witnessed one of the most beautiful sights of nature.
Night comes. Sea calmly. Small ripple slides on its surface. Suddenly, a light strip flashed on the crest of one of the nearest waves. Other, the third ... a lot of them flashed behind it. They will be demolished for a moment and fade together with a broken wave to light up again. Study, look like enchanted, for millions of lights flooding your sea, and ask - what is the case?
This riddle has long been solved by science. It turns out that the light radiates billions of microscopic beings, known as the nighttime settling (Fig. 1). Warm summer water favors their reproduction, and they are going on the sea with imperceptible hordes. In the body of each such spectrary, yellowish balls are scattered, which radiate light.
"Transfer" now to one of the tropical seas and plunge into its water. Here the picture is even more magnificent. This is floating that the Chinnu Tolpoi, then alone some strange animals: seemingly accurate umbrellas or bells from a dense jelly. These are jellyfish: large and small, dark and glowing, then blue, then green, then yellow, then reddish. Among these moving multicolored "lanterns" floats calmly, slowly a jelly-giant, whose umbrella has sixty-seventy centimeters in the diameter (Fig. 2). The radiating lights of fish are visible. Ruka-month swears, as if the moon among other glowing sprockets. One of the fish is brightly burning eyes, the edition of the head is sitting on the head, the top of which resembles a lit electric lamp, a long cord with a "flashlight" hangs on the upper jaw (Fig. 3), and some glowing fish are completely filled with radiance due to Special organs, located along their body, linked to the wire with electric light bulbs (Fig. 4).
Go down below - there, where the light of the sun no longer penetrates, where it would seem, there should be eternal, impenetrable darkness. And here in some places "burning lights"; And then the darkness of the night cut through the rays emanating from the body of various luminous animals.
On the seabed, among the stones and algae, glowing worms and mollusks are hoarse. Their bare bodies are littered with brilliant stripes, stains or specks, precisely diamond dust; On the leaps of underwater cliffs, starfishes filled with light; Immediately sins into all the ends of his hunting area of \u200b\u200bcancer, illuminating the path lying in front of him with huge, similar to the pylon tube, eyes.
But the magnificent of all one of the chalp clams: it all bathes in the rays of bright blue colors (Fig. 5). One moment - and the light went out: accurately turned off the electrical chandelier. Then the light appears again - first weak, then more and more bright, now he has been cast by purple - the paints of the sunset dawn. And there again goes out, to flare up again for a few minutes with the color of tender green foliage.
In the underwater world you can see other colorful paintings.
Recall the well-known twig of the Red Coral. This twig is a housing is very simple to organize animals - polyps. Live polyps with extensive colonies that are like bushes. Polyps build their home from lime or horn. Such dwellings are called polypnias, and the red coral branch is polypnia particle. Underwater cliffs are completely dressed as a whole grove of various in the form and color of coral bushes (Fig. 6) with a multitude of tiny camork, in which hundreds of thousands of polyps - animals, similar to white flowers sit. In many polypnails, the polyps are precisely embraced by a flame formed by numerous lights. The lights burn sometimes uneven and intermittently, changing the color: they will suddenly become purple light, turning into red, and then they will begin with a pale blue and, running the whole range of transitions from the blue to green, is frozen on the color of the emerald or go out, forming black shadows around him, and There again will flare up with overflow sparks.
There are glowing animals and among the habitants of sushi: it is almost completely bugs. In Europe, six types of such beetles. In tropical countries, they are much larger. All of them make up one family of lampiride, that is, Fireless. "Illumination", sometimes arranged by these bugs, represents a very spectacular spectacle.
Somehow at night I was driving the train from Florence to Rome. Suddenly my attention was attracted by flying sparks flying. The first moment they could be taken for sparks emitted by a locomotive pipe. Looking out the window, I saw that the train ours rushes forward through a light, transparent cloud, woven from tiny golden blue lights. They sparkled everywhere. They were spinning, the air was peeling with radiant arcs, they cut it in different directions, crossed themselves, drowned and fledged again in the night Mol, poured on the ground with fiery rain. And the train rushed farther further, shrouded in the magic veil of lights. Five minutes, and even more, it lasted this unforgettable spectacle. Then we escaped from the cloud of burning dust, leaving them far behind them.
That was Miriada-Svetlykov, our train crashed into the thick of these insecting insects that gathered in a quiet, warm night, obviously, in the marriage period of their lives. (This phenomenon can be observed not only in Mediterranean countries, but in Russia. If you are in a warm and not a rainy evening in the second half of the summer, to approach by the train to the Black Sea coast, move in the vicinity of the city of Tuapse, the Farius described by the author. Because Multiple tunnels, abundance of turns and a single-mole path The train is not very fast, and the flight of the lights is viewed as a fascinating spectacle. - Yu.M..)
Separate types of fireflies emit light relatively large power. There are fireflies that are glowing so brightly that on the dark horizon they will not immediately define that in front of you - a star or a fireless. There are species whose and males and females are glow equally well (for example, Italian fireflies). There are finally such types of bugs, whose male and female are glowing in different ways, although they look the same: the male body of the glow and is developed better, and acts energetic than the female. When the female is underdeveloped, it has only ridiculous wings or completely covered, and the male is developed normally, then something else is observed: the luminescence organs function significantly more than that of the male; than underdevelopment of the female than she is still and helpless, the brighter its glowing organ. The best example can be the so-called "Ivanov worm", which is not a worm at all, but a lumber-like female of a special kind of beetles-beetles (Fig. 7). Many of us admired her cold, smooth light, breaking through the foliage of a shrub or grass. But there is an even more interesting sight - the glow of females of another species of lightly. In the afternoon, similar to the collar worm, at night, it literally bathes in the rays of their own magnificent blue-white light due to the abundance of luminous organs.
However, little admire the luminescence of living beings. It is necessary to know what causes the glow of the inhabitants of the underwater and land world and what role it plays in the life of animals.
Inside each nighttime, with a microscope, you can see many yellowish grains - these are glowing bacteria living in the body of the openness. Radiating light, they make luminous and these microscopic animals. The same should be said about the fish, which eyes like burning lights: The glow causes glowing bacteria, settled in the cells of the glowing organ of this fish. But not always the glow of animals is associated with the activities of luminous bacteria. Sometimes light is produced by special luminous cells of the animal itself.
The glow bodies of various animals are built in one type, but alone is easier, and others are more difficult. While luminous polyps, jellyfish and marine stars are glowing the whole body, some crayfish breeds have only one light source - big eyes similar to a telescope. However, among the glowing animals, one of the first places on the right belongs to the charture of mollusks. These include octopus with the ability to change the color of their outdoor cover.
What bodies cause glow? How are they built and how do they act?
In the skin of pinching mollusk there are small solid calves of oval shape. The front of this Taurus, looking out, is completely transparent and is something similar to the lens of the eye, and the rear, most of it is worse in the black shell of pigment cells (Fig. 8). Directly under this shell lie in several rows of silver cells: they constitute the middle layer of the luminous mollusk organ. Under it are complex cells, reminiscent of the nervous elements of the retina. They linse the inner surface of this Taurus ("apparatus"). They also emit light.
So, the "light bulb" of the pine mollusk consists of three different layers. Light is highlighted by cells of the inner layer. Reflecting from the silvery cells of the middle layer, it passes through the transparent end of the "light bulb" and comes out.
Another curious detail in this luminous "apparatus". In the skin of a pink mollusk, something similar to a concave mirror or a reflector will be minted. Each of such a reflector with a "light bullet" consists, in turn, from a double genus of cells, from dark, non-transmitting pigment cells, in front of which silver cells reflect the light are located.
While the organism lives, various chemical processes are performed in its cells. In connection with these processes in the body there are various forms of energy: the heat, due to which it warms; mechanical, on which its movements depend; Electric, which is associated with the work of its nerves. Light is also a special type of energy that occurs under the influence of the internal work that flows in the body. The substance of luminous bacteria and those cells from which the glowing apparatus of animals are composed, oxidizing, radiates light energy.
What role does the glow in the life of animals play? Answer this question in each case has not yet been possible. But the benefits of glow for many animals can hardly be doubted. Glowing fish and crayfish live at such a depth, where the sunlight does not penetrate. In the dark, it is difficult to distinguish between what is being done around, track prey and slip away from the enemy. Meanwhile, glowing fish and crayfish - sores, have eyes. The ability of the glow makes life easier.
In addition, we know how some animals entails the light. Fish, who does something like a light bulb on his head, or a fish-fish, endowed with a long, like a cord, a lantern tentacle at the end, use luminous organs to attract production. An even happier in this respect is a cullen mollusk: its changeable, the delivel light attracts some, frightens others. Some varieties of little luminous racks per minute of danger throw off the jet of the luminous substance, which arises with the luminous cloud hides them from the enemy. Finally, the glow in some animals serves as a means of finding and attracting one sex of the animal to another: males thus find females or, on the contrary, attract them to themselves. Consequently, the glow of animals is one of the devices that are so rich in the wildlife, one of the guns in the struggle for existence.
Thanks to the study of sea depths, scientists were able to get acquainted with unique deep-water beings with phenomenal abilities. To their number, for example, can be attributed fish-risks. Life in complete dark imposed on them their mark. On the body of these fish there is a process, at the end of which there is a flask filled with bioluminescent bacteria. They are, just and glow.
But, as it turned out, there may be other fish living on large depths. This effect was called biofluorescence. Such marine inhabitants include: Skate, Muren, Sea needle, Fish - Stone, Fish - Surgeon and a number of others. The glow of their bodies has a slightly different nature. It is due to the special structure of their skin. Under the influence of light rays belonging to a blue light spectrum, their bodies begin to glow, acquiring neon, red, yellow, orange and other light shades. This is a phenomenon of scientists and is called biofluorescence.
Its main difference from bioluminescence is that there are no chemical reactions that cause glow. The effect of the glow, in this case, has a slightly different nature. In this case, the body of living organisms absorb blue light rays, transform them into the rays of a different spectrum, and emitted to the surrounding space.
For this process, fluorescent molecules are answered, located in the skin of living beings. They are, just, and absorb the rays of the blue light spectrum. In the collision of light photons with these molecules, their excitation occurs, accompanied by the separation of a large amount of energy, which the electrons of fluorescent molecules accumulate. In this state, they can not be long, and will try to get rid of excess energy to go to normal condition. This is ultimately happening. Energy is released, and in the form of light photons goes into the surrounding space, causing a glow, but already a completely different light spectrum. Depending on the energy level of emitted photons, the body of a living being will acquire various color shades.
It turns out that the fish living in the ocean, which have the effect of biofluorescence, absorb the light rays of the blue spectrum. There is quite a logical question why only blue? The fact is that the light rays of the red and infrared spectrum are absorbed by the upper layers of water, therefore, the rays of the blue and green spectra are penetrated to the depth, mainly. Scientists found out that at the depth of more than 100 meters there are only blue light rays, which are absorbed by the bodies of deep-water fish.
Luminescence is the radiation of visible light and light in the bands from ultraviolet to infrared.
In nature, the phenomenon of luminescence is known for a long time. Its study led to the opening of X-ray rays and radioactivity.
Some animals have systems that allow them to produce luminescent light in order to confuse or scare the enemy.
Do you know where you got a fairy tale about the heat - birds and unclean strength? Yes, yes, yes, we are familiar with this phenomenon - luminescence!
Those who have been in the tropics could observe truly amazing underwater glows. And with a certain coincidence, some seen glowing birds, fish and even people!
In the old century, people came to the thrill from what he saw. They took luminous cold fire feathers for flying demons. The myths were composed about this phenomenon and fairy tales were composed. Here is one of these myths.
In the chronicles of the Cathedral, located in Old Ladog, it is about the fact that Deek Fedor autumn in the evening of 1864 walked along the cliff over the Volkhov River and heard the noise of the wings, similar to the one that the ducks publish. But what was the horror tested by Fedor, when he saw the demon flying right on him! It became more terrible to the Dyachka, when the fire turned around Gusem. Of course, at first no one believed the stories of Fedor, but after a few days the "demons" appeared before other people. The most courageous tried to catch these heat - birds, but their efforts were not crowned with their success. And in the late autumn "unclean power" disappeared.
In the area of \u200b\u200bArkhangelsk and to this day there are glowing birds. Mostly it's ducks and geese. There were such meetings and in the Moscow region. One of the hunters somehow shot such a bird, and putting her in his hunting bag, I was surprised to understand that his hands also began to flicker strange light. But the glow stopped while he doned his trophy to the house.
Scientists explain this phenomenon is quite simple. According to the ornithologists, special microorganisms will be seized on the feathers of many birds, which create an amazing effect of the glow.
Stripes on water, phosphorizing cold light, can be seen during the night ship walk through the Black Sea in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Sochi. Imagine a huge starry sky, injecting coastal villages with the premises of mountains towering over them and gradually flared around the heat supply water, which begins more and more overflow with a bluish light! The ridges of the waves begin to hollow as an amazing light, dolphins are happily playing in these floors. Truly, this is a great spectacle!
And create its marine microorganisms. Jellyfish can glow, some species of squid and fish, shrimp.
Luminous squid "discovered" French scientists in 1834 at such a squid 10 supreets, and it is most often in the Indian Ocean and the coast of South Africa. The phenomenon of such a glow is called chemolyuminescence - this is a transition of chemical energy into light without heat costs.
But the phenomenon of glowing giant wheels in the tropical seas still remain a mystery. These wheels in diameter reach several meters, they rotate and move over the water, leading eyewitnesses to the sacred thrill. There are many eyewitnesses of this fantastic spectacle, but it was not possible to take a picture of the wheels while no one.
Fireflies
Which of you did not meet tiny fireflies flickering in the grass with green lights? In Crimea, such firecrackers are often frequent and reach the size of the child on the mother's mother's maiden. For the first time I saw such a light in the night, it is easy to take it for the eye of a predator. Still would! Fear after all the eyes are great!
It happens that tropical fireflies are collected by huge groups and searched on a tree, several on each leaf. Their light is visible at a distance of one and a half - two kilometers! Moreover, they simultaneously "include and quench" their "lanterns".
Interestingly, one day such a fireflies saved Cuba from the invaders! In the 18th century, a maritime expedition was landed on the island, but at night the colonizers saw the Miriada glowing lights in the forest. The British decided that the strength of the enemy was too large, it is necessary to escape, until it is too late.
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