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Fireflies

When a firefly lights up the night, the little critter isn't using electricity or fire, but instead a chemical reaction. The light flashes are the result of a chemical reaction where oxygen is combined with luciferin, an enzyme called luciferase and ATP. When the firefly breathes in, the chemicals react to produce that telltale glow. We call the process bibioluminescencend it is incredible efficient. When those bugs flash, the chemical reaction converts nearly 100% of the available energy into light.

In comparison, your average incandescent light bulb only converts 10% of the available electricity into light. The rest of the energy produced is heat.



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