#bioluminescence — Public Fediverse posts

Last night, my husband took me to see "A Life Illuminated" about Dr. Edith Widder, the first marine biologist to document deep ocean #bioluminescence. To me, the #film served as a reminder to leave room in our minds for the beautiful, magical things that exist in this life that we don't often hear about or that remain unseen. Check and see if this #movie is coming to a theater near you.
https://www.alifeilluminated.com/
#MarineBiology #science #OceanScience

Turbulence and Bioluminescence

If you’ve ever seen crashing waves glowing blue, you’ve been treated to bioluminescence. Although many creatures can bioluminesce, tiny dinoflagellates–a type of marine phytoplankton–are one of the easiest to spot. These microscopic organisms create a flash of light in response to viscous stresses. Their response to flow-induced stresses is so robust that they can be used to visualize stress fields.

In a new study, researchers explored how turbulence affects the dinoflagellate’s luminescence. They mathematically modeled the dinoflagellate as an elastic dumbbell that emitted light based on its extent and rate of deformation. Then they explored how this model dinoflagellate behaved in different types of turbulent flows. They found that the fluctuations and intermittency of turbulent flows both encouraged the radiant displays. (Image credit: T. McKinnon; research credit: P. Kumar and J. Picardo)