We Have No Idea Why

Offset your carbon footprint on Wren: https://www.wren.co/start/minuteearth The first 100 people who sign up will have 10 extra trees planted in their name! Also, our shop is getting a glow-up! Check out our shiny new story-based merch at https://dftba.com/minuteearth Most animals on earth are bioluminescent, but almost all of them live in the ocean - and scientists aren’t sure why. LEARN MORE ************** To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords: - Bioluminescence: the biochemical emission of light by living organisms such as fireflies and deep-sea fishes. - Biofluorescence: The emission of previously absorbed light by fluorescent proteins in a living organism. - Luciferin: an organic substance, present in luminescent organisms such as fireflies, that produces light when oxidized by the action of the enzyme luciferase. SUPPORT MINUTEEARTH ************************** If you like what we do, you can help us!: - Become our patron: https://patreon.com/MinuteEarth - Share this video with your friends and family - Leave us a comment (we read them!) CREDITS ********* Cameron Duke | Script Writer, Narrator and Director Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation Aldo de Vos | Music MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC https://neptunestudios.info OUR STAFF ************ Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes Alex Reich • Henry Reich • Peter Reich Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida OUR LINKS ************ Merch | http://dftba.com/minuteearth MinuteEarth Explains Book | https://minuteearth.com/books Youtube | https://youtube.com/MinuteEarth TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minuteearth Twitter | https://twitter.com/MinuteEarth Instagram | https://instagram.com/minute_earth Facebook | https://facebook.com/Minuteearth Website | https://minuteearth.com Apple Podcasts| https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minuteearth/id649211176 REFERENCES ************** Belkin, S. Bioluminescence Fundamentals and Applications in Biotechnology - Volume 1. Berlin Heidelberg, Springer-Verlag GmbH, 2014.Davis, Matthew P., et al. “Repeated and Widespread Evolution of Bioluminescence in Marine Fishes.” PLOS ONE, vol. 11, no. 6, 8 June 2016, p. e0155154, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155154 Delroisse, Jérôme, et al. “Leaving the Dark Side? Insights into the Evolution of Luciferases.” Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 8, 30 June 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.673620 Griffiths, Mansel W. “ATP BIOLUMINESCENCE | Application in Hygiene Monitoring.” Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology, 1999, pp. 94–101, https://doi.org/10.1006/rwfm.1999.0085 Haddock, Steven. Senior Scientist, Monterrey Bay Aquarium - Personal Communication. Hellinger, Jens, et al. “The Flashlight Fish Anomalops Katoptron Uses Bioluminescent Light to Detect Prey in the Dark.” PLOS ONE, vol. 12, no. 2, 8 Feb. 2017, p. e0170489, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0170489 Marek, Paul, et al. “Bioluminescent Aposematism in Millipedes.” Current Biology, vol. 21, no. 18, Sept. 2011, pp. R680–R681, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2011.08.012 Martini, Séverine, et al. “Distribution and Quantification of Bioluminescence as an Ecological Trait in the Deep Sea Benthos.” Scientific Reports, vol. 9, no. 1, 10 Oct. 2019, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-50961-z Martini, Séverine, and Steven H. D. Haddock. “Quantification of Bioluminescence from the Surface to the Deep Sea Demonstrates Its Predominance as an Ecological Trait.” Scientific Reports, vol. 7, no. 1, 4 Apr. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep45750 Mofford, David M., et al. “Latent Luciferase Activity in the Fruit Fly Revealed by a Synthetic Luciferin.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 111, no. 12, 10 Mar. 2014, pp. 4443–4448, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319300111 Yirka, Bob. “Researchers Seek to Explain Why There Are so Few Land Dwelling Bioluminescent Species.” Phys.org, Phys.org, 23 Aug. 2012, https://phys.org/news/2012-08-bioluminescent-species.html