Ocean Creatures and Bioluminescence

A red octopus that drifts through deep waters off the eastern United States shines in a novel way: Its suckers flash on and off. In 1997, Widder brought a live, foot-long specimen from the Gulf of Maine back to a lab. When the researchers turned off the lights, the suckers glowed blue-green, emitting the most light at 470 nanometers, a wavelength that travels well underwater. "It's kind of a twinkling effect," Widder says. Such a glimpse into the evolutionary history of a bioluminescent structure holds special interest because of its rarity, notes Widder. Tracing histories of light organs has proved difficult because "there's no fossil record for bioluminescence bioluminescence (bī'ōl'mĭnĕs`əns), production of light by living organisms...... .," she laments. NOAA - http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov Scientists Capture Giant Antarctic Sea Creatures - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rltkLuDDY98&NR=1 More Videos - http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/gallery/livingocean/livingocean.html Creation Moments http://www.creationmoments.net 2 minute radio programs - http://www.creationmoments.net/radio/archives.php Business Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:00am to 4:30pm E-mail: info@creationmoments.com Phone & Fax: Toll Free: 1-800-4... Local: 1-3... Fax: 320-968-4094 Write us at: Creation Moments PO Box 839 Foley, MN 56329 Visit our office at: 19365 65th St NE Foley, MN 56329