Deep Ocean Bioluminescence

Oceanographers often refer to the dim band just below daylight as the , where vision starts to change.

The first chemical ingredient is a molecule called , which helps produce the light signal.

Many mid-water species carry tiny light organs known as , usually lined along the body.

When that underside glow matches the pale light from above, the camouflage strategy is known as .

In one defensive tactic, the sudden flash works like a , distracting the attacker long enough for escape.

The rain of organic material sinking from the surface is called .

A good part of that material begins life as surface .

The wider lesson has fed into a field known as , where engineers borrow solutions from nature.

Those same proteins are now especially useful in , where cells can be tracked without invasive procedures.