Researchers Want to Find Out How Fireflies Synchronize and Use that Technology

A swarm of fireflies on Shikoku, in southern Japan. Kei Nomiyama/Barcroft Media, via Getty Images

Researchers believe the technology of fireflies can be harnessed

How Do Fireflies Light Up?

Fireflies create light which results from a chemical reaction, or chemiluminescence. When a light-producing chemical reaction occurs within a living organism, scientists call this property bioluminescence. Most bioluminescent organisms live in marine environments, but fireflies are among the terrestrial creatures capable of producing light.

A firefly creates light in the last two or three abdominal segments and appears different than the others. These segments comprise the light-producing organ, an efficient structure that produces light without losing heat energy. An incandescent light bulb gets hot after it’s been on for a few minutes.

The University of Colorado Boulder scientist Dr. Will Kuht studies all bug species in the Smokies for Discover Life in America. He said there are more than 19 types of fireflies in the Smokey Mountains and that this type of research is quite helpful.

They’re more concentrated in the Smokies and so you can get more of the synchronist effect there, Kuhn said. The researchers were able to see how they are able to form this kind of network of flashes and how they synchronize with each other.

The Kuhn team recorded the bugs using 3-D cameras at Elmont. Researchers want to find out how fireflies synchronize and use that technology.

What’s Behind The Firefly’s Glow | What’s Inside?

Studies like this are really good for helping us to make more efficient networks, more efficient robotics, and things like that, Kuhn said. We’re kind of in a hotspot for firefly biodiversity in North America.

He believes their glowing bottoms could hold several keys in scientific research. He said we already use some of the bug’s glowing technology in cancer research to make medicines and said we already replicate the bug’s light in glowsticks.

When you pop a glow stick it doesn’t create much heat. It’s like a cold light and that’s what fireflies do as well, Kuhn said.

When it comes to fireflies, the Smokey Mountains get most of the attention but Kuhn said you can actually see the brilliant bugs from Pennsylvania all the way south to Georgia.

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