The Dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula (IMAGE)

University of Cambridge

The Dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula

Caption

Researchers showed how a single-celled organism of the species Pyrocystis lunula produces a flash of light when its cell wall is deformed by mechanical forces. Through systematic experimentation, they found that the brightness of the flash depends both on the depth of the deformation and the rate at which it is imposed.

Credit

Maziyar Jalaal/University of Cambridge

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