The brilliance of bioluminescence - Leslie Kenna

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/less...
Some lucky animals are naturally endowed with bioluminescence, or the ability to create light. The firefly, the anglerfish, and a few more surprising creatures use this ability in many ways, including survival, hunting, and mating. Leslie Kenna investigates this magical glow - and our quest to replicate it.
Lesson by Leslie Kenna, animation by Cinematic Sweden.

[@lootgodamn5721]

"you could attract a mate with a glowstick" Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today

[@Roucksi]

hahahaahhhaa

[@LennyTwT]

Hahahahahahahahahaahaahahaahahahaaha

[@Timurv1234]

Imagine walking through a forest that looks just like the forest from avatar... It would be amazing, wouldn't it?

[@umnikos]

Yes, but every other forest will become boring...

[@taofortunis8600]

It seems cool at first, but how would this affect our bodies? Would we have to eat more to get the ATP for that? Would we breathe faster for the oxygen? Could we turn it off? Would this affect the natural darkness our bodies need to produce substances that prevent cancer development? Very interesting stuff.

[@kennethsatria6607]

Spirit world forest...

[@umnikos]

I'm waiting for the moment when I won't need to eat and I can just plug myself into a power outlet...

[@ta1laan]

They made one and universal studios.

[@eianguevarra774]

It's nice to know that's you're telling me all this while I'm being digested by that angler fish

[@confusedpotato7045]

Eian Guevarra L oL

[@AnAirConditioner]

An early warning would be nice

[@tubbyqueen]

Sorry I ate you, I was hungry

[@dusted3661]

Your gramarly is wronging

[@Cem-dt6oi]

"It is nice to know that is you are telling me.."

[@webby3109]

Imagine glowing trees on the side of the streets, don’t that sound pretty

[@abcxyz-]

It does, but think of the danger it poses to the ecosystem. Bugs get attracted to the light and spread their seeds everywhere, eliminating all but that one spieces and causing ecosystem collapse. That sounds extremely dangerous...

[@666deathkrush]

the palm trees on the sides of roads in las vegas glowing- I need it-

[@shinji1264]

@@abcxyz- Bug already get attracted to lanterns and street lights, also why would bugs take random seeds such as acorns ect.

[@abcxyz-]

@@shinji1264 In the cities that happens In the wild however there are no street lights. Also street lights don't reproduce, so bugs can't cause them to overpopulate. What's your point?

[@Lillpevin]

So shrimps can basically say "no u" and make their predators get eaten by other predators? Nice.

[@sumpeipuntheihdante8541]

I geuss yes

[@MrWashandburn]

daw did anybody else think those otters were adorable

[@Longray]

i did

[@MrWashandburn]

yay :D

[@goodygowild]

Those otter were the most adorable thing ever

[@stephtoms6444]

yes, I love them

[@mrmlgop5513]

Those otters look like a demon from the dephts of hell mixed with a sicopathic gay murderer clown and 9001 tons of blood and a knife and ugly infinitely old man

[@meijimarts111]

Imagine a walking to a glowing forest while you're tripping

[@socerboy06]

That's creepy

[@jaydenspies7088]

erthhhcdbjkjggggghkbdsdhkllncddgjkkkjnsfbnkmbcbkkkkklncghjcdsxfhjkkhhjjhvvvccxzcvbjjkkkbgkhsfhijvfghhhhjjgdfjkhjkkkjjkkmmscgbjjfedcvscscxv

[@mxsdrago]

Meiji Marts AVATAR!

[@BrandonSchleifer]

Biolumenecent houseplants could reduce the need for electric lighting.

[@jeremiahseals8067]

sleep

[@TheDongTran1]

+Guardian of the Galaxy people are already lazy to flip a light switch

[@thisismyshitpostingaccount5991]

put a sheet over it. and a soft glow doesn't prevent you from sleeping lol

[@wockywojak3280]

*biolumenence

[@deepakmhatre465]

But biolumniscence is not strong The light would not spread much

[@cedilowry78]

"I could look at this forever," you think. But you can’t." You’re about to be eaten by an angler fish. Get rekt.

[@JIEUN84]

Bioluminescence is one of the wonders of nature. It's fascinating and useful.

[@Keyz-pz5xy]

AWWWW THOSE OTTERS ARE SO KEWT

[@rehack_]

Keyz 1776 Yeshhh

[@drujjawalrathore]

Keyz 1776 Cute!

[@tjcybyb8447]

I Thought They Were Seals

[@johnlaurens2654]

Keyz 1776 WHY DO YOU HAVE THE HORRID KING ON YOUR PROFILE?!

[@meowkris]

❤️

[@the_neto06]

imagine not being able to glow like a christmas tree this post was made by glowing tobacco plant gang

[@kylefer]

Don't forget that we humans too are also extremely slightly bio-luminescent, and only recently it has been witnessed with extremely sensitive cameras.

[@oonmm]

I achieved the ability to see this luminosity with my bare eyes following an acid tripp. The light nearly looks like a glowing aura around every person - or object, that i see. I can now tell that everything, not depending on what you belive, is a living creature as they all emit this luminiescent aura! I've realized alot of new things about the world since this happend to me, and my path of life went from being a student to become free :)

[@kylefer]

Well typically it is only small pores on the body that are luminescent but I'll take your word for it, acid's a hell of a drug.

[@IBlabomba]

+kylefer Cocain's a hell of a drug.

[@Mark-Wilson]

@@oonmm yeah...no thats just the drug not you seeing ti dude a trip is a trip

[@Mark-Wilson]

in the infrared spectrum yeah

[@warriorshelmet4942]

These will make your heart melt 1:50 3:02 3:45

[@robertodavidson3071]

Why aren't my teachers teaching me this in school?

[@Creeperman-iq6ox]

Pixelart Animations AJ qqqq

[@pacoperalta1499]

Pixelart Animations AJ I'm in 4th grade I'm going to grade 5 soon

[@pneumonoultramicroscopicsi4065]

They do, except it's boring anyway when u study it in details

[@atrudokht]

If you are really interested in bio-science, you will learn it eventually.

[@briannaemerson6259]

i'm going to school to become a teacher, and am making mock lesson plans right now for this! i'd love to teach this! *i'm in a 4th grade class right now*

[@lysosome4684]

*Dammit! My 12 years of schooling only taught me about the fireflies. There are still many more of God's bioluminiscents!*

[@karoledward2850]

"Find the light in the dark." - Aang

[@therudestofclouds2007]

Karol Edward "tell her to talk to me" - eridan

[@DXM339]

"Right come closer to -the beatuful light- your death" -Angler fish

[@ultimate_animal_showdown]

Karol Edward “The quenchiest.” - Sokka

[@greenergrass4060]

I thought that was tenzin

[@robert-andreiionita2827]

"When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light." ―The Fireflies' slogan, - The Last of Us -

[@Your_Delusiona1]

Abby kills Joel with a golf club - The Last of Us Part 2

[@Poopdahoop]

This is actually really, really cool. :D

[@momchi98]

I am usually against hindering with nature at all, but I liked the glowing trees idea. It doesn`t hurt nature and it uses one of the most common elements on the planet.

[@Nexus-bf3ut]

Seeing the teeth appear at 0:31 genuinely makes me shudder. Imagine for a second that you're that fish and those teeth are the last thing that appears before being swallowed whole

[@doyler3220]

bioluminecent tatoos

[@josephkelley6546]

Trailmix gaming you're legitimately cool

[@adamcruz3172]

reflective ink

[@soullight8632]

YES. JUST YES

[@sumpeipuntheihdante8541]

300 iq idea

[@spliceosome]

for me the bioluminescence is the coolest thing in nature

[@sophier1399]

One of the most interesting videos I've seen! Amazing topic and fantastic animation made this almost perfect! I loved the thought-provoking ending, too. Great job; keep 'em coming! :D

[@Eyeamthewitness]

"that glowstick you use at a rave may help you find a mate" 🤣

[@Wopucitauah]

would you eat something that look like an airport runway? cat: hold my claws

[@yaboityler64]

Fish: Oh this is a cool light Anglerfish: your free trial of living has expired :)

[@WheelSeeChannel]

anglerfish are so cool! It's incredible how they can make light!

[@peanutsplayhouseventriloqu8741]

Good cover on Bioluminescence! Gotta love the wonders of the wild animal kingdom!

[@addiemcfadden6372]

"It's like nature made them ready to rave"

[@JB-tv3xm]

crab rave: hold my pincers

[@emsanimation8145]

Aww a lil' otter with a glow stick. It melts my heart

[@djaesy]

is it just as simple as light up our trees? Wouldnt that affect the animals and life that live in those ecosystems and screw things up for us more?

[@quitlife9279]

djaesy Don't worry, if the useful ones are affected, we can just reprogram them just like the trees with genetic engineering, it's the future.

[@supermanboy1255]

QuitLife Humans should not play god, with other living beings.

[@WanderTheNomad]

SuperManBoy1 Actually what makes people decide whether or not to do something is if there are consequences or not. And if there are, do the rewards outweigh the consequences?

[@vickygarcia4632]

djaesy we’ll just have to go through another natural selection 🤷‍♀️

[@cormacb2326]

+SuperManBoy1 We have been doing for it hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

[@cm1868]

I read a book series called Waterfire Saga where the merpeople blended into sealife. So one of the lead characters was a bioluminescent. I thought that was so cool. Random ikr but she could glow and I like knowing why.

[@miqdadabdulhalim]

Bioluminescence is always amaze me

[@KrisElder]

Answer: Deer's eyes "glow" is an example of tapetum lucidum which is a layer of the eye that lies just behind the retina of some animals that helps them amplify the light that is already in the environment such as in cats, dogs, and other species to help them see in the dark. It's iridescent and is an excellent reflector of light. Bio-luminescence is the generation of light through chemical interactions.

[@soundpeople9673]

(people can bio-illuminate) Imagine being in a tent with your mates and your light runs out of battery you just turn to Barry and "its your turn I glowed last night " - life improved

[@therudestofclouds2007]

0:22 ah yes, my happy place

[@rangergmd1501]

Give me one of those trees please!

[@ritbips]

If the oceans would glow from the natural resources around us it would be a great help for cruise's, ships and other vehicles that work in water at night. This would be a eco-friendly bioluminescent and would also help our earth live longer.

[@kcweber4813]

Whoever made the otter and firefly animation.... I love you! that was so cute.

[@siamcat0843]

I love bioluminecence I did a school presentation about it. It's amazing and a great video by the way :)

[@ashokrajur09]

thank you so much for explaining stuff

[@isabellaallen1079]

Bioluminescence- The ability of certain living things to create life. I learnt that the railroad work can glow two different colours, red and green to make it look like a airport runway so no predictors will eat it.

[@ninatorres2072]

The idea of bioluminescent plants would be so amazing. Just replacing every road and home light bulbs with trees and house plants. The earth would be so much better

[@Cannoli25]

there's a kickstarter project for this, you should check it out

[@interestedperson174]

are bioluminescent trees safe for birds and other creatures residing in/on trees? wouldnt it affect them?

[@Cs-zp5sr]

Those hugging sea otters are the cutest things I've seen all day.

[@hijadokisaudagar]

Just so you know, light pollution is still a thing

[@spacegerbeel4321]

Its called a lightning bug. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[@soullight8632]

Narrator : how can you put bioluminescence to use? Me : WHAT CUTE SEA PUPPERS

[@huyked]

I understand that concept, of course. The added "That could help our planet live longer." is the funny bit.

[@nohim.h3116]

It is a great idea to light up highways using bio luminescent

[@sulaiman4046]

The otter was like HEY MOM LOOK WHAT I FOUND

[@seanrosenau2088]

0:35 I can just imagine the anglerfish accidentally biting the glowing thing and going MMM, MMM painfully the way we do when we biting our cheek. LOL

[@davidefarina6743]

Just amazing

[@joajoajpedroj9253]

a biolumnescent tattoo would be really cool!

[@NoWarInBaSingSe]

The calcium in our body glows too, right? But its too faint. I read this in a book.

[@spliter88]

Normally it's a way to find other in their own kind (eg for finding a mate). Knowing that even those that don't find mates by glow, predators adapted to see light to find food. And other ones even adapted to either fake smaller predators or the animals that actually use light for location.

[@JohnyBuzzkillKidd]

If I could make my hand light up I would totally use that to my evolutionary advantage. Distract people with one hand, rob a wallet with the other. EVOLUTION

[@therudestofclouds2007]

*Insert homestuck rainbow drinker joke*

[@ruanfernando]

0:25 why are they attracted to light if they've never seen it? why do they even have eyes??

[@Alyenbird]

Human beings produce light too, it just isn't in the visable range. The heat produced by your metabolism is infrared light.

[@josephallison4302]

1. there are already street lights causing far too much light pollution anyway (its a replacement) 2. I don't think we're quite at that stage I'd imagine there are billions of things they have to do before they could realistically roll them out (its just saying "wouldn't it be cool?") 3. Plants run off the air and light bulbs run off electricity which requires fuel (messing up the world). Plant a tree and it'll just photosynthesise carbon dioxide pumping out oxygen until you chop it down.

[@katherineatchison242]

#BIOLUMINESANCERAVEPARTYBITCHES

[@therudestofclouds2007]

Katherine Atchison did you call kanaya?

[@saryandkaykee8074]

the rudest of clouds - I keep running into fellow homestucks in informational videos... hmmmm OuO

[@therudestofclouds2007]

Sary and KayKee before homestuck: glad theres no fuckin homestuck here there fucking annoying after homestuck: MY PEEEOOPLE WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF US WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN

[@saryandkaykee8074]

Yeah same ;)

[@daisybuchanan8205]

The entire video I was gazing at those cute otters sleeping in the water.

[@Pipapisca]

Sería genial si alguien lo tradujera para poder mostrárselo a mis estudiantes. Muy buen video!

[@Pipapisca]

Me refiero a doblado al español, no subtitulado, ya que son muy peques y no alcanzan a leer...

[@Pipapisca]

Sí, de primaria :)

[@krimson6605]

i think my fave ted-ed video

[@jefferyacquah17]

Forget what i said about the other two 3:34 was the cutest FINAL ANSWER

[@showmaker8168]

I wanna rave with my hands without any glowsticks

[@AlessioMangoni]

glowing trees? Just to allow us going around with big trucks over the night? This is SICK!

[@kiddchaos421]

Very nice. I love the rave references it would be great if we could bioluminous

[@eddyhomsi9591]

Amazing, yes, Bioluminescence should become our only way to light one day (hope soon)

[@crandria2001]

Otters are my favorite animals! They're SOOOOOO CUTE! :3

[@ghosthunterfallout]

so there are two ways? chemical reaction and bacteria? wow the tree's thing would be so cool

[@AishaVonFossen]

Glowing trees lighting up roads at night? That would be interesting. :D

[@no-obstv6637]

Imagine clipping your nose with the tip of your fingers then talk then listen to this video...

[@yanwong523]

'You had seen the light' Yeah, i did. Totally need to turn down my phone's brightness.

[@CodyCzar1]

Leslie Kenna sounds like someone I have heard on T.V. Great vid btw. More like this :)

[@abthedragon4921]

Bioluminescent trees, great idea, I wish more people would work on these so we could help the planet that much more.

[@ServantofMathias]

I didn't know that trees can glow in the dark

[@JacobLewis2006]

@@ServantofMathias I know, right?

[@zerd1801]

I’m surprised they did not mention the bioluminescent fish, cats, and bunnies that have been bred.

[@FreedomAnderson]

Those are unnatural.

[@Thatabbykidd]

I like how these videos encourage us to think outside the box

[@Forever_Rayne]

Those otters are so adorable! ☺️☺️☺️

[@JacobLewis2006]

Ray Palmer, Cosplayer of The Advanced Technology Operating Mechanism A.T.O.M

[@squirtleusedflamethrower1419]

I can understand this better with animation

Gawd, I love these!

[@aquaholic3774]

I want to glow. pls future

[@brandonfelix9958]

well make a movie about it with explosions cause you're James Bond

[@therudestofclouds2007]

James Bond become a rainbow drinker

[@killercroc3535]

3:44 She really just said "maybe if you swing your glowing stick around you might get some b*tches" 💀

[@Helcefea1]

" .... Its like nature made them ready to rave ...." Best Line in one of these videos ever!

[@leonardodigrazia9758]

Yeah, I think it would be cool to pass through a biololuminecent forest but maybe it wouldn't be for the creatures who live there. But it could be used in lamposts

[@squidpizza6320]

I fear bioluminescent trees would grow very slowly, be prone to breaking, and not very efficient in producing light, especially when headlights are pretty much all a person needs.

[@jayo3074]

fail

[@TheShadowed]

+Nicholas Cuevas why do you doubt things m8?

[@Laboa15]

+Nicholas Cuevas That is why they still researching about the theme. In biology, there is no one way to do the things.

[@squidpizza6320]

The Shadowed Because, not every new idea is going to work, and it's better that we think critically about ideas before putting them into action, to make sure we don't waste time or money.

[@thisismyshitpostingaccount5991]

if we research something, we learn something whether its useful or not at the moment. if we don't research it we learn nothing at all and we might need it later.

[@KittySYT]

I'm addicted to these videos....it's 3:02am, and this is my 10th video. 😊

[@MsCocohaha]

Ha. Well, "you can't hate the night if you've lived your whole life without light." Hanklerfish, anyone?

[@ssupes]

This stuff is great! But I don't think messing with the laws of nature Is such a good idea..

[@huyked]

Ya, I worded it wrong, but it's connected. It was as if Earth was personified to care. I know what she meant, but I was just reacting to how many people think "Save the planet", when in reality, it's really, Save Life on Earth.

[@gopaljoshi3603]

Hello Tedd , Nice video but If we made all the trees bio - luminous then they will consume more oxygen. This will create lack of oxygen and change the atmosphere cycle which is again problem for us. What do you think?

[@slypinqblu2352]

I never knew bioluminescence was such a great thing for animals

[@meleris88]

Glowing birds, the sky would look more beatifull :s

[@deepakmhatre465]

Like in the 'Journey to the center of the earth

[@Slartibartfass13]

I keep wondering if the chemicals involved are at all toxic or if they have any kind of flavor, because if not they'd make an awesome addition to cocktails. Mundane, I know, but it'd still be neat.

[@Weiti666]

No, because you need a certain wavelength of sun light for photosynthesis.

[@LizardWizard444]

if somehow we made a strong enough biolumines to light up a room we might make bulbes that could replenish themselves. in other words light bulbs that you never chang

[@JB-tv3xm]

you have spelling errors

[@mashupotato_]

but the question is: How do they extract bioluminescence?