A new scientific study revealed something incredible: all living beings emit an extremely faint light, and this tiny glow completely disappears at the moment of death. This experiment was made by researchers from the University of Calgary and the National Research Council of Canada.
If you think that this article is going to start talking about a very technical concept, forget about it. We are here to explain to you this fascinating discovery in a simple way. So, let’s get started.
Discovery about living beings
The study found out that living beings emit a super-weak light, often called biophotons. This light can be seen at first sight, only special cameras can detect it. Scientists saw this glow in: living mice, plant leaves, and previous studies about cells from animals, bacteria, and other organisms.
The most striking thing about this was that when the mouse died, the light was starting to disappear.
Biophotons
These are very small particles of light that come from chemical reactions happening inside living cells. This concept has existed for many years, but it has been very controversial because some people have confused it with ideas about auras or mystical energies. However, this experiment used strict scientific methods, not paranormal theories. Here’s what scientists already knew:
- Some cells naturally produce light through chemical reactions (called chemiluminescence).
- Even tissues like cow heart cells or colonies of bacteria can produce faint light.
- This light usually comes from reactive oxygen species, which appear when cells are under stress. This stress comes from heat, toxins, pathogens, lack of nutrients, or physical damage.
When these molecules react with fats or proteins inside the cell, electrons can jump into a high-energy state and release a tiny photon of light when they settle back down. This light is extremely weak, which is why it’s so hard to study.
Testing the glow of life
Researchers used special cameras like: electron-multiplying charge-coupled device cameras (EMCCD) and CCD cameras.
Scientists placed four living mice inside a completely dark box and recorded the light they emitted for an hour. After that, the mice were euthanized, and researchers recorded their bodies again for another hour. To make sure the heat didn’t affect the results, the mice were kept at body temperature even after their death.
Scientists found out that living mice emitted small light particles, and after they died the amount of light dropped clearly and consistently. This showed that living bodies glow faintly, and dead bodies don’t.
What about plants?
The experiment was also made with leaves from Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) and Heptapleurum arboricola (dwarf umbrella tree). The leaves were stressed with physical damage and chemical substances, which led to the injured areas glowing much brighter than the healthy parts. This supports even more the idea that light is much brighter when cells are under stress.
Importance of this discovery
Even though it might sound mystical, the goal is totally scientific. If scientists can detect this extremely weak light, they might one day use it to:
- Check the health of tissues without surgery.
- Monitor stress inside the body.
- Study plant health.
- Analyze bacterial activity.
- Develop new non-invasive diagnostic tools.
Think about this: doctors detecting health issues without needles nor big machines, just measuring this tiny light.
So…
This is pretty fascinating, right? The idea that all living beings give off a tiny glow—and that this glow fades when life ends—sounds like something out of a storybook. But the science behind it is real, careful, and increasingly promising.
Next time you think about what’s happening inside a living organism, remember this: there might be a tiny, invisible sparkle keeping everything alive.