bioluminescence
2
7.7
- noun
- /ˌbaɪoʊluːməˈnɛsəns/
- Specialized
- The theme of Glow is the exploration of the phenomenon of bioluminescence, that is, an organism's ability to produce its own light.
- bioluminescence assay
Examples
-
The curators of Glow are two of the world's leading experts in the field of bioluminescence, Dr. Edith Widder and Dr. James Case.
Academic text (2003) -
New asexual spores of fungi appear only at certain times of the day; the marine alga Gonyaulax radiates with bioluminescence only at night.
Academic text (2005) -
That's why I can see the bioluminescence so well.
-
And the glow, the glow that you see, that comes from a chemical reaction called... bioluminescence.
-
Glow: Living Lights is sponsored in part by the Office of Naval Research and Xenogen, both leaders in bioluminescence research.
Academic text (2003) -
Many underwater species glow in the dark through a process called bioluminescence.
-
If you're lucky, bioluminescence will leave the sand glowing and the kids fascinated.
-
Inlet at night, you could dip your fingers in the water and draw pictures in the bioluminescence.
Synonyms
2
7.0
Light that a material gives off without heat
1
9.4
Light that a chemical reaction makes without much heat
How Bright
- Specialized
2
7.7
114
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
bioluminescence = luminescence (semi-transparent) = bio + lumin + escence
The meaning is fairly clear from the scientific prefix 'bio-' plus 'luminescence', but the base word is specialized rather than highly familiar to average learners.
Etymology
Bioluminescence joins bio- meaning 'life' and lumin- meaning 'light', just like in biology and luminous. So it means 'living light' and is used for the light animals such as fireflies and some deep-sea fish make inside their bodies.