energia: Bioluminescence

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

Bioluminescence is the production of light by an organism as the result of a chemiluminescence reaction. It occurs in a wide variety of organisms, including marine vertebrates and invertebrates, terrestrial arthropods such as fireflies, some fungi, and microorganisms such as some bacteria and dinoflagellates. In some animals, the light is bacteriogenic, produced by symbiotic bacteria such as those from the genus Vibrio; in others, it is autogenic, produced by the animals themselves. Bioluminescence has evolved independently at least 94 times, first emerging in octocorals some 540 million years ago. In most cases, the principal chemical reaction in bioluminescence involves the reaction of a…

Evidence: 30 • authority: 80

Oldest known animal sex chromosome evolved in octopuses 380 million years ago

Evidence: 30 • authority: 80

Video: Tomato ancestor evolved 50 million years ago near Antarctica

Evidence: 30 • authority: 80

Daily briefing: Kissing might have evolved 21.5 million years ago

Evidence: 30 • authority: 80

Ancient fish fossil suggests ‘living skeletons’ evolved 460 million years ago

Evidence: 30 • authority: 80

Tomato ancestor evolved 50 million years ago near Antarctica

Evidence: — • authority: 92

Evolution of bioluminescence in Anthozoa with emphasis on Octocorallia.. Bioluminescence is a widespread phenomenon that has evolved multiple times across the tree of life, converging among diverse fauna and habitat types. The ubiquity of bioluminescence, particularly in marine environments where it is commonly used for communication and defense, highlights the adaptive value of this trait, though the evolutionary origins and timing of emergence remain elusive for a majority of luminous organisms. Anthozoan cnidarians are a diverse group of animals with numerous bioluminescent species found throughout the world's oceans, from shallow waters to the light-limited deep sea where bioluminescenc…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fishes characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the division Selachii and are the sister group to the Batomorphi (rays and skates). Some sources extend the term "shark" as an informal category including extinct members of Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) with a shark-like morphology, such as hybodonts. Shark-like chondrichthyans such as Cladoselache and Doliodus first appeared in the Devonian Period (419–359 million years), though some fossilized chondrichthyan-like scales are as old as the Late Ord…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Octocorallia, along with Hexacorallia, is one of the two extant classes of Anthozoa. It comprises over 3,000 species of marine and brackish animals consisting of colonial polyps with eight-fold symmetry, commonly referred to informally as "soft corals". It was previously known by the now-unaccepted scientific names Alcyonacea and Gorgonacea, both deprecated c. 2022, and by the also deprecated name of Alcyonaria, in earlier times. Its only two orders are Malacalcyonacea and Scleralcyonacea, which include corals such as those under the common names of blue corals, sea pens, and gorgonians (sea fans and sea whips). These animals have an internal skeleton secreted by their mesoglea, and polyps…

Evidence: — • authority: 88

A History of Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence from Ancient Times to the Present. This Chapter reports an overview of the historical development of bioluminescence (BL) and chemiluminescence (CL), starting with the primitive understanding of natural light emission phenomena from BL terrestrial and marine animals and fungi. At that time BL was just described as a fascinating unexplained natural phenomenon and was limited to terms of magic and superstition. In the course of the Centuries, paralleling the development of other scientific fields, methodological study of BL and CL began, ultimately leading to the exponential growth of knowledge in the last century and half or so. After the fi…

Evidence: — • authority: 80

Post-Precambrian Time (600 to 2 Million Years Ago)

Evidence: — • authority: 80

Giant ‘toothed’ birds flew over Antarctica 40 million to 50 million years ago