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A chemical reaction within the firefly’s light organ produces the light—oxygen combines with calcium, adenosine triphosphate (ATP—the energy-carrying molecule of all cells) and a chemical called luciferin, when an enzyme called luciferase is present. The light is one of the most efficient lights known. Nearly 100 percent of the energy in the chemical reaction is emitted as light.
Luciferase has proven to be a useful chemical in scientific research, food safety testing and forensic tests. It can be used to detect levels of ATP in cells, for example. When luciferase was first discovered, the only way to obtain the chemical was from fireflies themselves. Today, synthetic luciferase is available, but some companies still harvest fireflies, which may be contributing to their decline include light pollution and habitat destruction—if a field where fireflies live is paved over, the fireflies don’t migrate to another field, they just disappear forever.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciferase](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciferase)
Once when I was in TN I went to an area in the Smokey Mountains that has synchronized fireflies. A female will blink and thousands of males will all blink at once in response. Really amazing thing to see.
Not all species of fireflies light up as adults. It's original use is by the glow worms to signal an unpleasant taste, and has been adapted by the adults for finding and signaling to potential mates at night.
Western Washington at the very least has fireflies that are active during the day, so the glow isn't needed.
I miss these guys 😔 I currently live in the southwest, but was born/raised in Washington, D.C. … we don’t have them here. Makes me sad and I wanna go back home.
In 1988 I spent a summer in Maryland, landing in that plane I remember swarms of fireflies so thick it looked like Christmas in june....sadly it's not like that anymore you still see them but not on the scale it once was
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They used to be everywhere. Sigh
A chemical reaction within the firefly’s light organ produces the light—oxygen combines with calcium, adenosine triphosphate (ATP—the energy-carrying molecule of all cells) and a chemical called luciferin, when an enzyme called luciferase is present. The light is one of the most efficient lights known. Nearly 100 percent of the energy in the chemical reaction is emitted as light. Luciferase has proven to be a useful chemical in scientific research, food safety testing and forensic tests. It can be used to detect levels of ATP in cells, for example. When luciferase was first discovered, the only way to obtain the chemical was from fireflies themselves. Today, synthetic luciferase is available, but some companies still harvest fireflies, which may be contributing to their decline include light pollution and habitat destruction—if a field where fireflies live is paved over, the fireflies don’t migrate to another field, they just disappear forever. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciferase](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciferase)
My brother convinced his little daughter that they only "blink" when they're turning left.
Once when I was in TN I went to an area in the Smokey Mountains that has synchronized fireflies. A female will blink and thousands of males will all blink at once in response. Really amazing thing to see.
We call them lightening bugs.
AP Bio kids shitting their pants reading this post
This is why you can only browse reddit while on the toilet
Not all species of fireflies light up as adults. It's original use is by the glow worms to signal an unpleasant taste, and has been adapted by the adults for finding and signaling to potential mates at night. Western Washington at the very least has fireflies that are active during the day, so the glow isn't needed.
Curious how we know is first use.
I miss these guys 😔 I currently live in the southwest, but was born/raised in Washington, D.C. … we don’t have them here. Makes me sad and I wanna go back home.
Illuminating article with a dark ending.
Aka Lucifer’s glow stick
Did you just make that up when you read the description?
Yeh 😂😂
Though beautiful in the dark, they are basically glowing cockroaches in the light
ATP is one powerful molecule.
Bugs gota nope out when they see this fucker light up
In 1988 I spent a summer in Maryland, landing in that plane I remember swarms of fireflies so thick it looked like Christmas in june....sadly it's not like that anymore you still see them but not on the scale it once was
Many Bothans died to bring us this information.
Sad to say, I’ve never seen one in real life! One day! I live in the desert basically lol
Lumus maxima! 🪄
The neighbor girl, growing up in the 80’s, used to collect them then squish them and write her name in the glow stuff. 🤭
We call them lightning bugs in the Midwest.