Biophotons: The Tiny Glow of Living Things
Normal cellular processes in living organisms, from plants to human cells, produce biophotons, a tiny glow of light that is not visible to the naked eye.
While science fiction and fantasy stories often feature characters with a warm glow, in reality, all living things emit small amounts of light, although its purpose is still unknown to scientists.
Scientists still aren’t sure whether these biophotons serve a purpose, or if they’re just glowing motes of cellular junk.
According to Catalina Curceanu, a nuclear and quantum physicist, this phenomenon is different from bioluminescence, a set of chemical reactions that produce light.
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
Author's summary: Living things produce tiny amounts of light.
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