Why are fireflies lit at night? Detailed answer

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Why are fireflies lit at night? Detailed answer

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Why are fireflies lit at night?

Is there a person who would not be amazed by the fireflies? Children love to catch them, put them in bottles or hold them in their hands while the little living lanterns sparkle with soft light. One thing that might surprise you, and scientists too, is the mysterious glow of fireflies. This phenomenon is still not entirely clear; there are many inexplicable things in it. Firefly lights have a lot in common with other light sources, only they are not accompanied by heat. This kind of light is called luminescence. Fireflies produce light from a substance called luciferin. When combined with oxygen, a glow is formed.

But this reaction won't happen without another substance called luciferase. It acts as a catalyst, that is, it helps to carry out a chemical reaction, and allows luciferin to burn to form light.

Now scientists can reproduce this light in the laboratory. But in order to do this, they must remove the relevant parts that create light from the insects. Chemists cannot recreate the light of these amazing insects on their own. It still remains a secret of nature.

Why are fireflies lit at night?

There are many explanations for this phenomenon. One of them is that light helps males and females find each other. Another reason is to scare off nocturnal birds that try to avoid night light.

But scientists still do not know for sure why fireflies need lights so much, since all the assumptions do not seem to be entirely justified. They think that light is a side effect of the chemical reactions going on in the body of fireflies. Maybe it is formed, but it is not vital. But whatever the reasons for this phenomenon, most of us are glad that it exists, because it is nice to look at these small insects, these living lanterns, moving in the dark of the night.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

How is artificial rubber made?

Natural rubber is made from latex, the milky sap of the rubber tree. Latex is contained in a network of tiny vessels under the tree's bark. When the bark is removed, white milky juice is released. Small pieces of rubber float in this juice. Man has learned to create latex by combining chemicals. Such rubber is called synthetic.

A type of synthetic rubber produced in large quantities is called general purpose rubber. It is produced from two main constituents: butadiene and sterol. Butadiene is a gas derived from petroleum, while sterol is a liquid derived from petroleum and coal. Butadiene and sterol are pumped into large containers containing soapy water.

The soapy solution facilitates the process of forming rubber particles. Catalysts are added, chemicals that speed up a chemical reaction. As the mixture in the container is stirred, it gradually turns into a white, milky liquid. It's synthetic latex.

Synthetic latex is very similar in appearance to natural latex, obtained from the rubber tree. Once the synthetic latex is in the right condition, chemicals are added to stop the reaction. The latex is then pumped into another container with acid and saline. There he curls up. Curled pieces of synthetic rubber look like gray grains. They are washed to remove unwanted chemicals, the synthetic rubber is dried and pressed into pellets.

There are different types of synthetic rubber. They are produced by adding various additional substances or combining them in a special way.

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