Nature and It's Glow

There are many things in nature that glow in the dark, like fireflies, certain mushrooms, and even some animals in the ocean. This project will explore all the different things in nature that glow and try to understand why they glow and how biolumineseince works in nature in general. We will examine potential biomimetic applications of bioluminescence that could help reduce energy consumption and lower our carbon footprint.

Our study is currently at the literature review stage. At this stage, our research method involves gathering information from credible websites, compiling the findings in our trifold and logbook, and presenting them clearly to the judges. To ensure accuracy, we verify the information by cross-referencing multiple sources.

The resarearch is about how bioluminescence works. This includes many types of glowing mushrooms, a variety of glowing animals, and glowing water wich is made with dinoflagellates. We also briefly discuss glowsicks and how they use a chemical reaction and a thin glass tube.

For this project the data is the research that we have put on our trifold. The data being : glowing animals, glowing water, and glowing mushrooms, in addition, how glow sticks work was showcased. This is not an experiment project.

These nature bioluminescent animals can use bioluminescence for a multitude of reasons such as communication, mating, luring prey, scaring off predators and surviving in the dark. We learn about some creatures that glow and some FAQs (frequently asked questions). In addition, we also have more information on glowing fungi, where we learned that there are many types of glowing fungi and that they glow to attract flies. We also discussed glowing water, where we learned that water glows because of the plankton inside of the water. The last thing we went over was about glow sticks. These items glow when a little glass vial was broken inside of them, causing a chemical reaction. We discuss these topics in our project about bioluminescence.

Jan Otte. “11 Animals That Can Glow in the Dark And Why They Do It”, March 11, 2025.

https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/11-animals-that-can-glow-in-the-darkand-why-they-do-it-1-301714/

We would like to thank all the people who helped like my teacher Mrs.Lai for going through and helping us with this project and westmount charter mid high school and CYSF for providing this oppritunity for us.