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Bioluminescence

Dolphins glow with the flow

Nature volume 393, pages 731–733 (1998)Cite this article

Bioluminescence is the remarkable ability of many living organisms to produce visible light. These organisms, which include bacteria and dinoflagellates, fireflies and fish, use special chemiluminescent reactions to produce energy in the form of light. The luminous dinoflagellates are unique flow markers, lighting up only when particular levels of shear stress are present.

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Figure 1: ‘Dolphins in phosphorescent sea’.

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  1. the Southampton Oceanography Centre, Empress Dock, SO14 3ZH, Southampton, UK

    Peter J. Herring

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  1. Peter J. Herring
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Herring, P. Dolphins glow with the flow. Nature 393, 731–733 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/31582

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