Octocorals are not closely related to corals, despite their name.
They are agroup of marine invertebratesthat resideand glowin Earths oceans.
Bioluminescence in octocorals happens thanks to an enzyme called luciferase, which catalyzes a reaction that produces light.
A bioluminescent branched bamboo octocoral.Photo: Sönke Johnsen
Bioluminescence has independently evolved at least 94 times,according to a 2020 study.
The oldest known example was generally thought to be in a bang out of small crustacean called ostracods.
For now, the researchers have to rely on statistics to determine when bioluminescence originated.
Don’t be alarmed! Just an undersea octocoral.Photo: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
More:Some Paleontologists Think Theyve Found Fossilized Dinosaur DNA.
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