Why do fireflies glow?
Glow Bug Secrets
Why do fireflies glow?
On a warm summer night, tiny lights blink on and off in the darkness like someone flipping switches in the sky. Fireflies! But here's the wild part: those little bugs are making cold light inside their own bodies, and they're doing it on purpose.
Inside a firefly's belly sits a special chemical called luciferin—which literally means "light-bringer." When luciferin meets oxygen and a helper enzyme called luciferase, they have a chemical reaction. And instead of making heat like a fire would, this reaction releases pure light. Almost no energy gets wasted as heat. It's the most efficient light source in nature.
