Edith Widder

Since my first dive in a deep-diving submersible, when I went down and turned out the lights and saw the fireworks displays, I've been a bioluminescence junky. But I would come back from those dives and try to share the experience with words, and they were totally inadequate to the task. I needed some way to share the experience directly.

American Scientist

It's a little-appreciated fact that most of the animals in our ocean make light. I've spent most of my career studying this phenomenon called bioluminescence. I study it because I think understanding it is critical to understanding life in the ocean where most bioluminescence occurs.

During my first open ocean dive, I went down to 800 feet and turned out the lights. I knew I would see bioluminescence, but I was totally unprepared for how much. It was incredible! There were explosions of light everywhere, like being in the middle of a silent fireworks display.

It is clear that if we are going to understand ocean ecosystems, we need to understand the part that bioluminescence plays in those ecosystems.

Used to describe a naturally occurring light, not man-made or artificial.

Natural Phenomenon

Often highlights the beauty or mystery of nature, especially in marine environments.

Visual Effect

A topic of research that helps scientists learn about organisms and ecosystems.

Scientific Interest

 and anyone that's had that lovely opportunity knows that for about two and half hours on the way down, it's a perfectly positively pitch-black world. And we used to see the most mysterious animals out the window that you couldn't these blinking lights -- a world of bioluminescence, like fireflies.

Underwater astonishments...

 but these organisms can turn parts of their body into glow sticks. It's like nature made them ready to rave. Why? In one way or another, bioluminescence improves a living thing's chances of survival. Take the firefly. It's ability to glow green helps it attract a mate on a warm, summer night,

The brilliance of...

 It was breathtaking. Now, usually if people are familiar with bioluminescence at all, it's these guys; it's fireflies. And there are a few other land-dwellers that can make light -- some insects, earthworms, fungi -- but in general, on land, it's really rare. In the ocean, it's the rule

Edith Widder: Glowing...

 to this extreme pressure this total darkness they usually wipe they have no pigment some of them have eyes to see bioluminescence some of them have no eyes at all it's completely alien world Cameron is the first human to reach the

James Cameron Breaks...

 that most of the animals in our ocean make light. I've spent most of my career studying this phenomenon called bioluminescence. I study it because I think understanding it is critical to understanding life in the ocean

Edith Widder: The weird...

 so it's a little appreciated fact that most of the animals in our ocean make life I've spent most of my career studying this phenomenon called bioluminescence I study it because I think understanding it is critical to

The weird, wonderful...

 of the little-known wonders of the world and a key to finding the giant squid bioluminescence it's normally too dim to see but on a starry night like this it's perfect most people have no idea that in