Profile of J. Woodland Hastings

摘要

Rippling in the night, wakes of ships leave sparkling trails in the sea, the product of innumerable single-celled dinof lagellates stimulated by the ocean's turbulence. This mesmerizing luminescence is present among many species of organisms, ranging from squid and jellyfish to bacteria, glowworms, and fireflies. Bioluminescence has evolved a number of different times, and the enzymes and substrates that cause it, referred to as luciferases and luciferins, differ among the major organismal groups.