Pinpricks of light on the shore seem to mirror stars above in an picture taken on Vaadhoo Island in the Maldives. The biological light, or bioluminescence, in the waves is the product of marine microbes called phytoplankton—and now scientists think they know how some of these life-forms create their brilliant blue glow.
Various species of phytoplankton are known to bioluminesce, and their lights can be seen in oceans all around the world.
Image credit: Doug Perrine
Image credit: Doug Perrine
Image credit: Mike Blake
Image credit: Osamu Shimomura
Image credit: Mike Blake
Image credit: Adam Plezer
