Light Energy from Organisms

I don't think there is really enough light here to "harness", however it's a very interesting phenomenon.

http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/

Their genes have already been manipulated to make a glowing cat, for whatever that's worth:

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/13/514602.aspx

Actually, you can get enough light by immobilization of the bioluminescent enzymes of the organisms, as the immobilization ends up increasing the density per unit surface area of the enzymes. The difficulty is with the continuous cultivation of the culture and harvesting of the enzymes, and the continual replenishing of the immobilization surface.

The Cyalume stick works on the same principle.

Love the signature yu are using....

Yes, I did some research on harnessing the light from Bioluminescent organisms of the sea, many years ago. The biophotons are produced by their enzymes when stimulated by certain chemicals. So the enzymes on being extracted can be caused to give up light by exposure to the specific chemicals. I do not remember the chemicals I used though - this was many years ago.

I hope this is helpful though.

It's a reaction between Diphenyl oxalate, hydrogen peroxide, and occasionally, sodium salicylate.

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So are we all saying it has to do with the chemical reactions only? how about the genetic aspect of it. There probably needs to be a genetic marker or gene that causes this. Some of the examples given by others, i see that people actually experimented with the organism using the chemicals or biotoxins,etc. How about the organisms that naturally exhibit these characteristics without needing any environmental or chemical tweaks. their genes have to be responsible for that. Also, is this bioluminescence all internal? I'm probably guessing that some organism can achieve the same effect by light reflection added to other factors...

Actually, I meant to say that the enzymes are acting as catalysts, or more precisely as biocatalysts, and the biophotons are a component of the product of the enzymatic reactions.

As I can not precisely recall the chemicals I used for the bioreactions, nor have immediate access to my records I am not willing to fault or support the submission of DVader; however, I have some doubt that I had peroxide as a component but researches are always advancing the knowledge scope anyway.

The chemicals that I used were ordinarily naturally produced in the organisms as intermediaries of other metabolic reactions, hence whenever they reached a concentration high enough to ignite the biophotonic reaction, then the reaction fired, and the photons discharged as light.

So yes - you are correct that - the genes of the organisms had some role to play through the enzyme catalysis of the reaction, not to mention the need for the products of the reactions as components that may very well be needed for either anabolic or catabolic reactions.