Bioluminescence is the production of
light by a living
organism. The most familiar example is probably
fireflies, beetles that use patterns of flickering light to attract mates. Most biolumiscent organisms are
marine. An example is the
anglerfish, which uses a glowing lure to attract prey. The
colossal squid,
jellyfish, and many
species of
plankton (
Euphausia superba - light-shrimp) are also bioluminescent.
Various mechanisms can be used to produce bioluminescent light. A common one is via the enzyme luciferase[?], which is frequently used in genetic engineering as a tracer.