light coming from a firefly

[Carol Orr]

I just had dinner with the inventor of a light used in microscopes all over
the world so that disease products can be seen. The light came from the
chemical make up from the buttock of a firefly where the light comes from.
Unlike other lights, it does not heat up and it is a brighter light when it is
looking at a disease such as cancer or aids, etc. Has anyone heard of a
remedy being made from this light? The light from the buttocks of a firefly?
I asked if fireflies would light up more if flying around a sick person and he
said no. Sort of like cats that are drawn to a person dying in a nursing home
or dogs that sniff out cancer.

[John Harvey]

One consideration is that, whereas sunlight and moonlight may both potentially be pathogenetic, because both contain UV light, the light from a firefly is perhaps less likely to include frequencies that can induce derangement. It seems to fade off entirely by 450 nm, which is in the visible-light spectrum, though it emits a very little near infra-red.

Cheers --

John

[healthinfo6]

Turns out the butt is really it's abdomen.
For those with the wherewithal, here is the highly techie info on the enzyme Luciferase that is involved in the chemical reaction that emits this light. There are supposedly 2000 types of fireflies along with other lifeforms that do this and the process is being genetically engineered for other applications. The light produced this way is 80-90% efficient thus not producing much heat while an incandescent lightbulb is 10-20% efficient producing lots of heat and currently being phased out and soon becoming illegal in the USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciferase
Susan