Ted Talks: Edith Widder, The Weird, Wonderful World of Bioluminescence

• She talks about how most animals make life. Imagine how much life is in the ocean that many people don't see in their life. She had the opportunity to go down in a sub(I don't know if it was a submarine or something really close to it. I can't remember what she called it.) and she saw amazing animals that live only deep in the ocean. She saw a single celled alga(sp?) and it produced an amazing light. These types of animals produced this light to defend itself, like a scream for help, but also to attract mates. She recommends if you get the chance to see down in the deep sea, to do it. At the bottom there are weird things. She saw a golden coral that glows and it could be about 3000 yrs old. When you touch it, you get a twinkling bluegreen glow on you. She says it all seems like things out of a Dr. Seuss book. There are some fish, brittle stars that have bangs of light that change colors. An animal that looks like plant that blows up on its stock and when you squeeze the stock it changes colors from blue to green. She works to copy these type of animals with technology with 16 blue LEDs. Its an imitating display. Call it an optical allure electronic jellyfish. They sent it down and got to "talk" with animals. They don't know what they are saying,but its amazing. It also brought in a shark, which they don't know why. It's just the beginning of understanding these strange creatures. 99% of the earth is ocean living space. These are aliens life forms that you don't have to go to another planet to see.

http://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_the_weird_and_wonderful_world_of_bioluminescence.html