Virtually all plants are biofluorescent because their photosynthesis is powered by chlorophyll, a pigment that glows red as a way to get rid of excess energy when exposed to ultraviolet light.

View a gallery of plants made to shine using ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence photography, in which these organisms re-emit the ultraviolet light they are exposed to in vibrant, glowing colors.

Satellites can be used to measure photosynthetic activity around the world by observing the red, biofluorescent light emitted by chlorophyll in plants.

The chlorophyll in plants captures energy in the form of red and blue light

Light-dependent reactions during photosynthesis convert sunlight into chemical energy, stored within the bonds of molecules such as ATP and NADPH. Rather than being absorbed for these reactions, most green light is reflected, causing most plants to appear green.

How the pigments that absorb light for photosynthesis contribute to plants' green color

Although light energy is captured to power the reactions that produce the building blocks of starch, cellulose, glucose, and other sugars, chlorophyll a and b are most sensitive to violet, blue, orange, and red light, leaving green light mostly unabsorbed. This green light is instead reflected, giving most plants this color appearance.

Biofluorescent animals—those that absorb light, such as ultraviolet rays, and re-emit other types of light, such as neon green, include some flying squirrels, scorpions, sea turtles, and platypuses.

View a gallery of biofluorescent animals, which contain cells that emit various colors when exposed to ultraviolet light.

Bioluminescent organisms produce their own light through chemical reactions involving unstable, energetic molecules, while biofluorescent organisms almost immediately re-emit light shone on them, but at a different wavelength.

To protect the symbiotic algae they rely on for food, some corals absorb ultraviolet radiation and re-emit it as visible light, which these algae can photosynthesize.

Starting with red, colorful objects will appear to lose their colors the deeper they are submerged because water scatters light, reducing the amount available to reflect off objects and be observed.

The 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded for discovering and developing uses for green fluorescent protein—a biomolecule found in Aequorea victoria, a jellyfish native to the Pacific Northwest.

Imagining if humans could perform photosynthesis and how it would change our anatomy

Since chloroplasts reflect green light, becoming photosynthetic would give our skin a green appearance. Because photosynthesis has efficiencies of only 5% to 9%, and humans burn 2,000 Calories daily compared to about 200 burned by a tree, becoming photosynthetic would also require us to adopt a less active, sun-filled lifestyle.

During the fall, shorter days trigger cells in leaves to produce less chlorophyll, a green pigment that is typically present in sufficient concentrations to mask other pigments, such as yellow and orange.

Photoautotrophs, which include plants, algae, bacteria, and Euglena, are organisms at the base of the food web that convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy stored in sugars.

Rubisco, the crucial enzyme powering photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the crucial process by which plants absorb sunlight, take up water, and breathe in carbon dioxide, prompting chemical reactions that result in the byproducts sugar and oxygen. A key enzyme, rubisco, is responsible for it all, but it is inefficient. This video explores the key protein and reveals fascinating facts about oxygen and photosynthesis.

By separating light with tools such as prisms, scientists can reveal the presence and composition of celestial matter by identifying color fingerprints unique to specific elements and molecules.

Bioluminescent reaction enzymes are often used in biomedical research

Near-infrared luciferase systems allow researchers to image and analyze cellular activity in living animals because they penetrate tissue more deeply than visible light. This provides a means of studying gene expression and protein interactions without harming the animals.

Bioluminescence provides organisms with a method of hunting, defense, or mating

Unlike glow sticks, bioluminescent reactions use renewable resources like oxygen and ATP. This ability allows fireflies to mate and deter predators, anglerfish to confuse and attract prey, and deep-sea shrimp to defend themselves by vomiting glowing slush.

Massive blooms of microscopic algae called dinoflagellates produce the neon blue light seen in glowing tides.

The three categories of photosynthesis, which each help plants survive in different environments

In the vast majority of plants, C3 photosynthesis produces three-carbon intermediate molecules in the Calvin cycle within the cells of leaves. Plants in hot, dry climates use C4 photosynthesis across two types of cells to produce four-carbon molecules before the Calvin cycle. Plants in drought conditions use CAM to store carbon dioxide as an acid at night, minimizing water loss.

Bioluminescence became common in the ocean to support survival in dark environments

Despite seeming like a rare ability in land animals and unseen in plants, bioluminescence has evolved at least 29 times across marine species, indicating its necessity for survival where hiding spots are rare and highlighting how environments provide evolutionary pressure.

View examples of luciferin, the light-emitting molecule behind bioluminescence

Bioluminescent marine organisms rely on various unique luciferins, including Cypridina-type luciferin in seed shrimp and chlorophyll-based dinoflagellate luciferin, to react with oxygen to produce light. These chemicals require unique catalysts to help them bind with oxygen.

View a gallery of bioluminescent organisms, including jellyfish and mushrooms

Some species produce a quick flash of light, while others glow steadily with an eerie glow, often to seek attention or in response to being disturbed. Snails, worms, fungi, and other organisms highlight that this ability evolved independently, rather than from one common ancestor.

Instead of consuming water and carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and sugar, anoxygenic photosynthesis involves alternative reactants and products.

View a sample of the bioluminescent tree of life

This diagram shows 42 different light-producing organisms, from bacteria and fungi to worms, fish, and crustaceans. It illustrates how the ability to produce light has appeared multiple times across the tree of life, rather than stemming from a single ancestor.

An overview of oxygenic photosynthesis, which releases oxygen from breaking down water

Within the membranes of chloroplasts, electrons in pigments are energized by light and transferred across a series of molecules until they create the energetic NADPH molecule. This transfer also powers a hydrogen pump, which creates an ion imbalance that, when relieved, produces energetic ATP molecules. Outside the membranes, both NADPH and ATP are used to synthesize G3Ps, which are funneled into other metabolic pathways to produce sugars.

The flashing green light on a smartwatch estimates a person's heart rate by measuring the amount of light reflected back to the watch as blood vessels expand and contract.

Why 75% of ocean animals glow

About 75% of ocean creatures can make their own light. It's called bioluminescence—and it all comes down to a special chemical reaction happening inside their bodies.

High-powered red light therapy—delivered directly to nerve fibers via a fiber optic needle—has been used in recent experimental research to suppress pain.

Watch students comically portray how plants can detoxify the environment

Through a series of processes that collectively make up phytoremediation, plants can take up pollutants from soil and water through their roots, then break them down, release them as less harmful gases, or store them within their cells. Any plants that sequester heavy metals or other toxins must be removed and managed after the environment is decontaminated.

Breaking down sunlight and why the sun appears yellow despite emitting green light the most

This peak intensity is produced alongside a spectrum of other colors, which, when combined, make the sun appear white in space. Since Earth's atmosphere scatters bluer and greener wavelengths of light more than red and orange wavelengths, sunlight reaching Earth's surface appears yellow, while the sky appears blue. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Proteins with limited light sensitivity prevent humans from seeing all types of light

Specialized photoreceptor cells in the retina called cones each possess photopigments that activate when exposed to three ranges of visible light. Other forms of electromagnetic radiation outside the activation range do not generate signals for processing in the brain, thereby limiting average human vision to approximately 10 million colors.

Glow sticks feed energy released in chemical reactions to fluorescent dyes

When bent, the glass tube inside the stick breaks, releasing hydrogen peroxide into the surrounding solution. The ensuing reaction creates unstable molecules that decompose and release energy, which is then absorbed by molecular dyes that emit light when their excited electrons return to lower energy states.

Photographer captures glowing flowers in ultraviolet light

Debora Lombardi utilizes ultraviolet light to reveal unseen colors in flowers, re-shaping their natural beauty. Beginning during the lockdown of March 2020, Lombardi's experimentation evolved, culminating in a series recognized by the World Photography Organization. Her work highlights vibrant purples, blues, and yellows, transforming flowers into surreal, otherworldly specimens by exposing them to UV light in her Italy-based studio.

How artificial photosynthesis can help make plastics and fuels using sunlight

These systems link a molecular light absorber to a catalyst that can synthesize fuels—such as ethanol—and ethylene, a precursor to plastics, in a carbon-neutral manner. Because these byproducts have greater energy concentrations than the carbohydrates produced by photosynthetic organisms, research is ongoing to engineer the necessary catalysts.

Greenhouse gas concentrations can be measured using spectroscopy

Each type of greenhouse gas absorbs a distinct set of wavelengths of light, which serve as a unique spectral signature. By shining light through an atmospheric sample and measuring the light on the other side, the amount of each gas can be calculated from the amount of missing light.

View illustrations of bioluminescent functions in marine organisms

Bioluminescence can startle predators, camouflage, lure prey, confuse rivals, or facilitate mate recognition. One tactic—the burglar alarm—involves an organism releasing light to attract a larger predator to its attacker as a means of defense.

Watch underwater photosynthesis make water look like champagne

In shallow waters where sunlight can reach, photosynthetic reactions absorb water and dissolved carbon dioxide, producing bubbles of oxygen at the surface of plants. As these bubbles rise to the water's surface, a fizzy appearance is created.

Red light therapy—a treatment harnessing a specific form of energy that penetrates the top layers of skin—is marketed for skincare and wellness, but has its roots in NASA plant growth research.

Watch a time-lapse from space of photosynthesis across Earth

Using NASA satellite imagery, carbon absorption can be tracked and serves as a proxy for photosynthetic activity on land and in the oceans. Over the course of a year, seasonal changes can be observed as plants become dormant in the fall and active again in the spring.