bioluminescence
the production of light by living organisms.
Origin of bioluminescence
1Other words from bioluminescence
- bi·o·lu·mi·nes·cent, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use bioluminescence in a sentence
As a result, the chemical structures that create bioluminescence vary wildly — from single chains of atoms to massive ringed complexes.
Ocean acidification may make some species glow brighter | Bethany Brookshire | January 11, 2021 | Science NewsIt is exciting that the researchers found a gene associated with bioluminescence, said the University of Kansas' Martin in an email to Popular Science.
This study found a gene similar to the one in animals like jellyfish, which could mean that animals using bioluminescence could have a common ancestor.
Other people might have seen bioluminescence in ocean waters.
These glowing insects are often a person’s first experience with bioluminescence.
British Dictionary definitions for bioluminescence
/ (ˌbaɪəʊˌluːmɪˈnɛsəns) /
the production of light by living organisms as a result of the oxidation of a light-producing substance (luciferin) by the enzyme luciferase: occurs in many marine organisms, insects such as the firefly, etc
Derived forms of bioluminescence
- bioluminescent, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for bioluminescence
[ bī′ō-lōō′mə-nĕs′əns ]
The emission of light by living organisms, such as fireflies, glowworms, and certain fish, jellyfish, plankton, fungi, and bacteria. It occurs when a pigment (usually luciferin) is oxidized without giving off heat. Although it is believed that bioluminescence is involved in animal communication, its function in many organisms has yet to be understood. Bioluminescence is a form of chemiluminescence. Compare chemiluminescence.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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