Tag Archives: blue light waves

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I saw a beautiful picture, at around 3 a.m. today. And the beautiful, neon-like lights in the gentle waves of water got me thinking about what causes bioluminescence. I remembered how phosphorus paint glows in the dark. And I remembered how some explain the glow at the edge of the ocean, in the right lighting, as a phosphorous glow. But the picture showed so much blue. And the person who shared the pic titled it “Beauty of Bioluminescence.” So I did a little study on that.

Turns out, that kind of bioluminescence isn’t a phosphorous glow.

When I found information on this serene radiation, I noticed something VERY interesting. At least to me. And I’ll share what and why in a minute. First, here are a couple of quotes on the bioluminescence process:

“The metabolic reaction that combines the oxygen with a reducing substance (luciferin) liberates sufficient energy to excite a molecule in the organism to emit visible radiation.”

Then the article reiterated that point by saying, “In most bioluminescent organisms, the essential light-emitting components are the oxidizable organic molecule luciferin and the enzyme luciferase, which are specific for different organisms.”

So, did you pick up on what I found VERY interesting?

It’s the molecule, luciferin, and the enzyme luciferase. If you’re a Christian, or if you’ve ever studied the Christian faith, you probably recall that Satan was referred to as “an angel of light.” And you might also recall that Satan is also known as…wait for it…Lucifer.

Hmm…Lucifer, an angel of light. Coincidence? Or Divine predestination?

Neither. A pharmacologist, named Raphaël Dubois, named the molecule and the enzyme. And he called them luciferin and luciferase based on the Latin term “lucifer.” And that means, light bringer. How cool is that?!

Well, you know me. I don’t like to leave the descriptions to scientists and linguists. So, I composed an ode, of sorts, based on the beautiful picture (found in the glasses at the top of this article) AND the information on the subject of bioluminescence and phosphorus glow. I call it…

Luciferin Light

Bioluminescence, like diamonds in dreams,
The light is delightful, but not as it seems,
Where oxidization produces compounds,
Aqua light in the night that truly astounds.
“Luciferin emissions” sounds wicked, and yet,
They’re what occurs as we view this vignette.
Labyrinth liquid, one of many designs,
Establishes essence of brilliant blue lines,
And creates conundrums for science to solve.
But one thing’s for sure, it could never evolve.

© 2022

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

When you think of the ocean, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? That it covers most of the planet? Or that it’s salty? Maybe you think of it as a fun place to go vacation. And maybe your first thought is how it’s so blue. That’s what I think. And the same is true with the sky. So blue. But have you ever noticed how blue is rare when it comes to the creatures on Earth?

With so much blue water and sky, why is blue so rare in creatures?

Well, I read an article that talked about how creatures’ feathers, fur, and skin colors almost always come from pigments. And those pigments are chemicals that absorb specific wavelengths of light and other reflections.

And animals get those pigments from what they eat.

Like a flamingo, for example. Flamingos start out gray. But they get their bright pink color from the pink beta-carotene that comes from all the algae and brine shrimp they eat. Pretty cool.

But here’s the deal with blue pigments. There are just about no truly blue pigments on our little, blue planet. So, most blue creatures get their color from the way the molecules on their body reflect light.

And even cooler than that is how the Blue Morpho butterfly has ridges in its wings that reflect light and use “optical effects, like interference, to create all that brilliant beauty.

But let’s bump up the coolness to the max.

Because the different ways creatures appear to be blue are all based on coded information. By the best information coder the world has ever known (or ever will). Yeah, I know it’s crazy talk to say it. But all that beautiful design you find out there on this beautiful planet was put here by a…gasp!…Designer.

And that’s why I wrote a song about it for kids when I was the music director at a church in Denver. Here’s the first verse of…

Why?

Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green?
And Why is the sun gold? What does it all mean?
Why is the air clear? And why is the ground brown?
Why does the earth float and never fall down?

(The answer is in the song)

© 2010 Tony Funderburk

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

If you hang out with kids long enough, you’re bound to get a question like, “Why is the sky blue?”

If and when you get a question like that, do you have a good answer? You could give a scientific reply with facts like how the blue light waves are shorter and therefore there are more of them visible as they get scattered on the air molecules all across the sky. That would be logical, reasonable, and sound.

Or you could give a fairy tale answer like…the angels dive into the ocean and get blue water all over their wings. Then they fly back back up and shake off the water and it floats all across the sky. Kids’ imaginations will do the rest of the work. There’s nothing wrong with this sort of explanation. It’s fun. It’s creative. And it gets little minds churning. Of course, it’s a good idea to give them a “better” reason as soon as you can see they’re able to understand.

But here’s a third (and I believe most important) answer. The next time you hear “why is the sky blue?”…think of this rhyme:

Why?

Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green?
Why is the sun gold? What does it all mean?
Why is the air clear? Why is the ground brown?
Why does the earth float and never fall down?

Cause God made skies. He made them blue.
He made the world for me and you
And all because it pleased Him to.
God loves us through and through.

Why is a horse fast? Why is a snail slow?
Why does it get cold when Northern winds blow?
Why is the sea green? Why is the sand white?
Why is the day day? Why is the night night?

Cause God made creatures big and small,
And sand and seas; He made them all.
And even if we trip and fall
God helps us to stand tall.

God’s love is always there.
His love will never die.
And so you can trust in Him
For all your questions why…

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Tony Funderburk's signature can be found on almost all of his writing for kids.