奇异的生物发光世界

奇异而其妙的生物发光世界0:15So I want to take you on a trip to an alien world.And it's not a trip that requireslight-years of travel,but it's to a place where it's defined by light.0:30So it's a little-appreciated fact that most of the animals in our ocean make light.I'vespent most of my career studying this phenomenon called bioluminescence.I study itbecause I think understanding it is critical to understanding life in the ocean where mostbioluminescence occurs.I also use it as a tool for visualizing and tracking pollution.Butmostly I'm entranced by it.Since my my first dive in a deep-diving submersible,when Iwent down and turned out the lights and saw the fireworks displays,I've been abioluminescence junky.But I would come back from those dives and try to share theexperience with words,and they were totally inadequate to the task.I needed some wayto share the experience directly.And the first time I figured out that way was in this littlesingle-person submersible called Deep Rover.1:29This next video clip,you're going to see how we stimulated the bioluminescence.Andthe first thing you're going to see is a transect screen that is about a meter across.1:39(Video)Narrator:In front of the sub,a mess screen will come into contact with thesoft-bodied creatures of the deep sea.With the sub's lights switched off,it is possible tosee their bioluminescence-the light produced when they collide with the mesh.This isthe first time it has ever been recorded.2:16Edith Widder:So I recorded that with an intensified video camera that has about thesensitivity of the fully dark-adapted human eye.Which means that really is what youwould see if you took a dive in a submersible.But just to try to prove that fact to you,I'vebrought along some bioluminescent plankton in what is undoubtedly a foolhardyattempt at a live demonstration.2:35(Laughter)2:37So,if we could have the lights down and have it as dark in here as possible,I have aflask that has bioluminescent plankton in it.And you'll note there's no light coming fromthem right now,either because they're dead-(Laughter)or because I need to stir themup in some way for you to see what bioluminescence really looks like.3:01(Gasps)3:05Oops.Sorry3:07(Laughter)