Sir David Attenborough is about to embark on an exciting adventure – a search for the lights of nature. The journey will lead into ocean depths, to claustrophobic caves, and forests by night.
On land, fireflies, fungi and even earthworms glimmer and glow. But it is in the ocean, where bioluminescence casts its eerie lights more than anywhere on Earth. Some deep-sea fish and squid can only ‘light up’ because luminescent bacteria inhabit their bodies!
How and why do organisms produce living lights? For centuries, we could only see their beauty with the naked eye. Now, for the first time we can capture the faintest glow of luminous life, using cameras over 4,000 times more sensitive than a decade ago. A new generation of submersibles and robots has enabled scientists to penetrate deep-sea realms.
With them, we can understand bizarre symbiotic relationships, chemical processes and genetic anomalies. We can witness thousands of male fireflies flashing their lights on and off in unison to attract mates and, in extreme locations, watch animals use their magic glow to hunt, to warn and to mate.
Bioluminescence is everywhere – in the soil, on land, throughout the oceans. With Attenborough at the helm, let there be light!