The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-09-22
Cold Light OF Nature


WOODS HOLE, Mass. Up - The
mystery light of the dark seas
sprang into glowing blush light as
the scientist mixed two chemicals
in a blackened room.
1t shone brightly in the glass
beaker, .irridescent, lighting family
whole corner of the room.
This was exactly the light you
see in sea water if you've ever
swum at night or watched as a
boat knitted through the water. It's
the light like that - except for
color from yellow fireflies. Or
from dead tree stumps glowing in
the dark because of fungi growing
on them.
1t is bioluminescence, chemical
and cold light which nature has
granted to many living things, es-
pecially in the sea.
Man has been intrigued with this
natural light from the time of his
earliest observations and wonder
ings about his world. Now science
is beginning to find the explana-
tons, and perhaps some day some
marvellous uses for it.
Mysteries of this cold light are
being explored by DR.. E. Newton
Harvey of Princeton University
and associates who spend their
summers here at the Marine Bio
logical Laboratory working with
lamp-bearing animals and organ
ism from the sea.
Two chemicals create the light
luciferin and luciferase, an engine
or accelerator of chemical reac-
tons. Both have been isolated in
pure form from a tiny crab-like
CREATURE, cypridina, which is one
of the main illuminators of the
sea. Fireflies produce their light
from the same two chemicals, but
the luciferin of fireflies is prob
ably different from that of these
crustacea.
These sea animals, about the
size of big bird seed, can be kept
in the dried state, and will give
off light when ground by mortar
and pestle and mixed with water.
BY careful chemical treatment,
their luciferin can be extracted
and also their luciferase. When
these two liquids are mixed, you
get the wondrous glow as though
thousands of the animals at once
were lighting the sea.
In life, these animals shoot their
luminescence out into the water
as a boat passes or the water is
disturbed. Why they do it is a
conundrum-perhaps to warn their
fellows away.
Fireflies apparently use their
flashing light to attract boy and
girl fireflies together. Numerous
little fish living in ocean depths
carry headlamps and other light
Perhaps, DR.. Harvey speculates
the position of the lights provide
Identification for romance in the
blackness of the deep.
A relative of the jellyfiSh, mnem
the size of silver dollar
or larger, is another common
lamp-lighter of the sea, glowing
with a green hue. Why it has q
light is hard to answer, DR.. Harvey
says, for it has no known enemies
nor does it seek out prey itself
DR.. Joseph ]. Chang of Prince
ton University, originally from
lSouth Korea put bit of this jelly
like creature in a darkened box
so electric shocks could stimulate
its light-producing cells. The Igh
Twas picked up by a photocell, am
plified and turned into electric cur
rent, producing pips or bounces OF
| a recording screen.
The light-giving reaction is like
the witch of muscle, and like ;
muscle the light cells will grow
tired and weak from repeated per
ormance. Can this reaction of sea
I light help tell science more abou
the workings of the human engln,