Bioluminescence

[rockytopva]

To begin with... Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism, created by a chemical reaction inside the organism. This "cold light" is common in the ocean, with 75-90% of deep-sea animals using it for functions like communication, defense, and finding prey, though it's rarer on land where it's seen in organisms like fireflies. The light is typically produced by a molecule called luciferin and an enzyme called luciferase, which react with oxygen to generate light (Defined from a Google AI Overview).

 

[rockytopva]

The ocean depths...

Sunlight Zone - Photosynthesis occurs above 200 meters (650')
Twilight Zone - Sunlight reaches the max depth of 1,000 meters (3,280')
Aphotic Zone - Sunlight does not penetrate below 1,000 meters (3,280')
Titanic - Rests at 3,800 meters (12,500')
Challenger Deep - In the Mariana's Trench- 11,000 meters (36,000') deep

The ocean pressures...

Sunlight Zone - 300 PSI
Twilight Zone - 1,500 PSI
Aphotic Zone - 1,500 PSI
Titanic - 6,000 PSI - 400x that of sea level
Challenger Deep - 16,000 PSI

Only 27 people have visited Challenger Deep, or about as many who have visited the moon.

 

[rockytopva]

Life at 12,000 feet (6,000 PSI) at what pressure the OceanGate Titan submersible imploded in June of 2023. This new species of Jellyfish was found in the Marianas Trench at those depths. - New Species of Unusual Jellyfish Discovered 2.3 Miles Below the Ocean's Surface

 

[rockytopva]

Anglerfish can be found at a depth of 4,500 meters (15,000') and use a glowing lure to attract prey... Surprisingly these creatures have eyes in their heads as well.

 

[rockytopva]

The chemistry behind bioluminescence is actual quite complicated... The key chemicals are luciferin (which acts as a fuel) and luciferarce (which acts as a spark).- Living Light: The Mechanisms and Diversity of Bioluminescence - Apologetics Press

 

[rockytopva]

The OceanGate Titan – Man’s attempt at deep sea bioluminescence

Organic Chemistry – A 4.5” carbon fiber hull
Size – 8’ long by 5’ deep. Basically a crawl space
Weight – 23,000 pounds
Passengers – 5 people
Claimed max depth – 13,000’
Speed – About 3mph on three thrusters
Imploded at – 11,000’ (The Titanic rests at 12,500’) in 2023

In googling the internet I do not read of anyone else who have attempted this using carbon fiber. This shows the immense pressures and challenges of deep sea reality. The last transmissions were, “drop two weights” indicating someone knew they were in trouble.

 

[rockytopva]

If there were a gold medal for cetacean diving, it undoubtedly would go to the Cuvier's beaked whale. Scientists said on Wednesday they tracked these medium-sized whales off the coast of California using satellite-linked tags as the creatures dove down nearly three kilometres (10,000') and spent two hours and 17 minutes underwater before resurfacing. - https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/beaked-whale-is-deep-diving-champion-1.2590068

Incredibly this whale can dive down to the depths the OceanGate Titan imploded and then resurface. "Taking a breath at the surface and holding it while diving to pressures over 250 times that at the surface is an astounding feat." - Researcher Greg Schorr

 

[GodsGrace]

If there were a gold medal for cetacean diving, it undoubtedly would go to the Cuvier's beaked whale. Scientists said on Wednesday they tracked these medium-sized whales off the coast of California using satellite-linked tags as the creatures dove down nearly three kilometres (10,000') and spent two hours and 17 minutes underwater before resurfacing. - https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/beaked-whale-is-deep-diving-champion-1.2590068

Incredibly this whale can dive down to the depths the OceanGate Titan imploded and then resurface. "Taking a breath at the surface and holding it while diving to pressures over 250 times that at the surface is an astounding feat." - Researcher Greg Schorr

Very interesting info and thread.
Thanks for posting!

 

[LoveYeshua]

The Quantum Mechanics of Fertilization: Your Spark is Light​

 

[The Barbarian]

Turns out bioluminescence evolved several times. But the biochemical basis of bioluminescence is based on highly-conserved molecules used for other key metabolic processes in almost all animal cells.

Enzymatic promiscuity and the evolution of bioluminescence - PMC

Bioluminescence occurs when an enzyme, known as a luciferase, oxidizes a small-molecule substrate, known as a luciferin. Nature has evolved multiple distinct luciferases and luciferins independently, all of which accomplish the impressive feat of ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov