Bioluminescence: v2

MAKING PROTEINS: Hemoglobin in red blood cells (abbreviated by RBCs) holds onto oxygen molecules with exactly the right amount of grip so oxygen molecules can easily move to cells needing oxygen. In every RBC, there are an astonishing 300 thousand hemoglobin proteins!

MAKING PROTEINS: Hemoglobin and resilin proteins and all others are made in the ribosomes. After a protein is folded, it is shipped in a “Santa-type sack” across the cell to the places where it will be used. There are motor proteins that “walk” and carry them called kinesin proteins.

MAKING PROTEINS: Kinesin proteins carry these big “bags” of proteins on opsin filament bridges that criss-cross the cell.

MAKING PROTEINS: M-RNA is a copy of part of the DNA made by RNA polymerase. Loads of M-RNA leaves the DNA in the nucleus through complex caves in the nuclear membrane and goes to the mitochondria.

MAKING PROTEINS: Ribosomes use the MRNA as a coding machine to put amino acids that they receive in a process called “Trainstation”. (You might need to look this up!)

MAKING PROTEINS: Proteins fold into 3-d proteins instead of the “line” that they are when they are first assembled by the ribosome. It’s a bit like folding origami–but light years more complex.

FIREFLY FLASHING: One firefly specie flashes at the normal speed of flashing every 3.6 seconds. When the scientist sped the flashing rate up to 4.3 times for second, how did the females respond?

FIREFLY FLASHING: Fireflies find each other by their specific light-flashing patterns. This is a big purpose of the lights because it enables fireflies of one species to find fireflies of the same species for the purpose of continuing their specie. They don’t call by sounds like crickets do, or use smells like dogs do.

FIREFLY FLASHING: A firefly uses two proteins, luciferin and luciferase to make its light. Luciferase is an enzyme that speeds up the interaction between luciferin and oxygen. (Research if you need to.) There is one firefly that uses this bio-light to make a Z pattern.  It keeps its light on as it swoops in a Z-pattern.

FIREFLY FLASHING: There is a beetle that will look around and copy a firefly flash pattern that it sees. When a suitor sees this pattern, it’ll will come down and think it’s going to find one of its specie. Instead it is eaten for lunch.