this post was submitted on 06 Mar 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] the_dopamine_fiend@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago (5 children)

Bioluminescence is actual magic. I will take no calls on this matter.

[–] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 3 points 6 days ago

Nah, it legit is, though. Just because someone or most someones understand how something happens doesn't mean it isn't magic anymore. It just means that we have a hard magic system. We understand our magic so well that we've stopped seeing it as magical, but if you take a step back and take a look at the big picture it becomes clear that the world is magical, and everything around us is this amazing, often confusing, incredible tapestry of Wonder and awe. The world has just ground us down so much that we feel like wonder is strictly for children, that we're not allowed to feel wonder anymore. Embrace the magic. Even if you know how it works.

[–] Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

"I cast 200 μg Luciferin."

[Dice noises]

"Nat 15. Your abdomen glows and dims slowly and rhythmically."

Pathfinder 2e literally has bioluminescence bombs that's just jarred firefly juice that's secreted by humanoid fey that resemble the bugs

[–] ieatpwns@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Fuckin bio-lights how do they work

Spelling it without help is also magic, so I hear ya.

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 0 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Eh, what fireflies can do is kinda the base level of the bioluminescence 'skill' of the evolutionary tech tree.

https://gizmodo.com/glowing-deep-sea-squid-have-a-complex-form-of-communica-1842472534

https://youtube.com/watch?v=DE89YY7zCio

Humboldt squid skin is bioluminiscent, but roughly akin to a flexible lcd or oled screen, with many different 'pixels' capable of being set specifically.

They likely have the ability to communicate by basically displaying different patterns of different colors and brightnesses and translucency, sorta like a human walking around with a sandwich board made of lcd screens, which they can control with a phone app.

They may very well have an entire language they can convey via sequenced or at least specific patterns.

Note: No clue if you can actually trace bioluminescence in fireflies and certain cephalopods to the same common ancestor or if its completely different, independent evolutionary occurances, but my point is there are certainly more and less complex and utility granting forms of bioluminescence.