How Fireflies Glow – The Chemistry of Bioluminescence

November 10, 2021 ย โ€ขย  EPISODE 95

What makes fireflies glow? Join Roger Billings as he helps students explore the enchanting world of fireflies! Discover the amazing chemistry behind their glow and see how these tiny creatures light up the night with their bioluminescence.

About DrB

Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as โ€œDrBโ€ to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology. As part of DrBโ€™s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to โ€œgive backโ€ by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.


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476 Comments

  1. Roxy

    I love fireflys I’ve never seen them before but thare so cool

    Reply
  2. Samuel

    Can fireflies glow in colors other than yellow or green?

    Reply
  3. Akil

    Oh wow.

    Reply
  4. Colin

    God is the best scientist and his creation shines just like the fire flies.

    Reply
  5. Zane

    I always wondered how it works

    Reply
  6. Christopher

    Bioluminescence is cool.

    Reply
  7. David

    Wow!. This video was very interesting. I love how you explained how fireflies glow!. Also here is my question. What is the golden power on a surface when a firefly is crushed under a force?

    Reply
  8. Annalea

    Are there fireflies that don’t have bioluminescence

    Reply
  9. Emma

    I โ€˜ve aways loved fireflies I have seen them in Sardinia, Italy but it was amazing to learn how they are able to make lights!

    Reply
  10. Aniston

    Pretty fascinating!

    Reply
  11. Alex

    how are the fireflies glow are they different color me to ive never seen a fireflies

    Reply
  12. Benjamin

    this was very interesting to watch

    Reply
  13. Joseph

    Wow, what a great lesson. I don’t see many fireflies where I live? I was listening to how the fireflies used oxygen to light their bodies. Will there be more fireflies in rural areas without so much politician or does that play a factor. Also, do fireflies fly around during the day and we just can’t see them or are they nocturnal insects?

    Reply
  14. Zoah

    Firefly’s are very pretty when it gets warm out I go out side and see how many I can catch!

    Reply
  15. Logan

    i’ve always wondered how fireflies glow
    Thank you for this lecture

    Reply
  16. Clay

    Are there any other animals that are biolumenescent.

    Reply
  17. Liam

    The first time I saw fireflies was in Tennessee, they were awesome.

    Reply
  18. Damon

    Firefly video is amazing

    Reply
  19. Abby

    Very interesting! I love fireflys in the summer

    Reply
  20. Havanna

    we have fireflies in our yard during the summer

    Reply
  21. Makenna

    I loved this video! It helped me learn about fireflies

    Reply
  22. Jesse

    Bioluminescence has always been an topic I’ve been curious about. It’s nice finally having a better understanding about it.

    Reply
  23. Brady

    My mom told me stories of catching them when she was a kid and putting them in a jar

    Reply
  24. Aviel

    I liked this Science video on fire flies.

    Reply
  25. Jameson

    I liked the chemical reaction when you recreated the bioluminescence .

    Reply
  26. Kenzleigh

    I didn’t know that fireflies were so i Interesting.

    Reply
  27. Blossom

    I love science!โค

    Reply
  28. Blossom

    I love fireflies but I’ve never seen one before

    Reply
  29. Ally

    Were I live there’s no firefly’s cause I live in the city

    Reply
  30. Juliann

    That experiment was really amazing I have not seen anything like that before!

    Reply
  31. Zoe

    wow is that cool video or what?

    Reply
  32. Cooper

    About how many fireflys are on our earth?

    Reply
  33. Daniel

    Fireflies are amazing!!

    Reply
  34. Ethan

    I never knew what “in the lime light” meant. The fact that fireflies can control the oxygen is fascinating.

    Reply
  35. Flowerbloom

    ur the best
    ;]

    Reply
  36. Serena

    Do fireflies sleep during the day?

    Reply
  37. Joseph

    I had never learned something so amazing than what I just learned right now.Thank you for the video

    Reply
  38. Kirsten

    This is so cool!

    Reply
  39. Lourdes

    I wish I knew how to catch a firefly. Iโ€™m so excited to see what is next in science live!

    Reply
  40. Isabella

    omg shes a singer woooow shes so good

    Reply
  41. Ranulph

    I love fireflies!

    Reply
  42. Isaiah

    Robots having the ability to feel what they touch win old be much different, and bioluminescence is cool.

    Reply
  43. Jose

    so cool

    Reply
  44. Kenzie

    So cool the song made me cry its so sad!

    Reply
  45. Rachael

    what do fireflies like.

    Reply
  46. Jayden

    I love fireflies. I catch them every summer. It is cool knowing how they flash.

    Reply
  47. Jared

    This is so cool. I didn’t know that oxygen was a part of bioluminescence.

    Reply
  48. Mark

    I don’t know how to catch a firefly.

    Reply
  49. Sue

    I love this. that song made me cry. I made a poem over fireflies.
    through the darkness,
    when life is full of sadness,
    there is a light,
    that glows with all it’s might,
    that night,
    it held on tight.
    That light,
    were fireflies.
    No matter the lies,
    or the darkness of your life,
    remember you are the fireflies light.

    Ok, I am going to admit that that was not a good poem, but when I write I write from the bottom of my heart.
    Remember you are the light of the fire fly!!

    Reply
  50. Sabella

    I love to catch fire flies in the summer.

    Reply
  51. Jordan

    on the song that’s my math teacher Ms. Rebecca

    Reply
  52. Khaleesyroseferguson

    Help I am crying from the song.

    Reply
  53. Jordan

    I’ve never seen a firefly in my life

    Reply
  54. Bonnie

    very cool cant wait to see whats next

    Reply
  55. Jamee

    Love it so much โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฉ
    Love fireflys

    Reply
  56. Cassie

    I love thissssss. I need to see it live. And the “I don’t like to be in the limelight” is very relatable.

    Reply
  57. Jennie

    what this song name, cool!

    Reply
  58. Hope

    This was really cool. My favorite part was learning about the phrase “I don’t like to be in the limelight.”

    Reply
  59. Cason

    I think bioluminescence is so neat. Fireflies are cool to watch. It is amazing in the ocean too. I hope to see that one day.

    Reply
  60. Kimberly

    too me it was amazing!!!!!!

    Reply
  61. Kaitlynn

    that was AWSOME, to me….

    Reply
  62. Hunter

    That was Very COOL to me too

    Reply
  63. Baker

    The song Fireflies was so beautiful, and inspiring!
    Fireflies are amazing creatures, yes.

    Reply
  64. Beckett

    Wow! This was very cool to me.

    Reply
  65. Paris

    This is so cool thank you for this

    Reply
  66. Ethan

    I learned about bioluminescence in sea animals last year.

    Reply
  67. Elijah

    2025!!

    Reply
  68. Tristan

    Whos watching in 2025? but I like thisone

    Reply
  69. Charles

    Fireflies are really fascinating creatures, they are just so cute with those black bead like eyes and their glowing is really cool. I sometimes wish I had the ability to be Bioluminescent, especially when navigating my house at night when my eyes aren’t adjusted to the dark.

    Reply
  70. Ericka

    I love fireflies

    Reply
  71. Chloe

    Something about bio-luminescent things tickle my brain.Its so nice to look at.

    Reply
  72. Elaina

    30:16 secret of the firefly๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ so funny!

    Reply
  73. Phoebe

    loved it

    Reply
  74. Marshall

    I learned that fire flies produce light through a chemical reaction!

    Reply
  75. Ella

    The song video made me cry.๐Ÿ˜ข

    Reply
  76. Ella๐Ÿ˜‹

    Love the video it made me laugh!๐Ÿ˜‚ I love the frameable secret pajet!!๐Ÿ˜‚

    Reply
  77. Sallie

    it made me cry the song did

    Reply
  78. Lucas

    Cool song Ms. Rebecca.

    Reply
  79. Jaxon

    I love the video. I think it is so dang cool. Y’all should watch, it will be a great experience.

    Reply
  80. Thoryn

    This is the best.

    Reply
  81. Giovanni

    It was cool

    Reply
  82. Phoebe

    I love the song so much but it was sad.

    Reply
  83. Rosetta

    haha my math teacher sings the song lol๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

    Reply
  84. Aaron

    Awesome i love it so cool๐Ÿ˜ฑ ๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿ˜ถ๐Ÿ˜ฒ awesome

    Reply
  85. Ella

    this is so cool๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ˜ฑ

    Reply
  86. Ella

    this is so cool

    Reply
  87. Lorelai

    cool

    Reply
  88. Brenden

    I learn that fire flies make light from a chimerical reaction

    Reply
  89. Angel

    That was really cool where did you get the stuff for the project because I want the stuff so I can try this project

    Reply
  90. Alex

    This is so cool i love learning about fire flies fun fact my favorite element on the periodic table is carbon dioxide!!!!!

    Reply
  91. Alex

    This is so cool i love learning about fire flies fun fact my favorite element on the periodic table is carbon dioxide

    Reply
  92. Johnathan

    I learn fire fly uses carbondixoide shine light

    Reply
  93. Shelby

    I love Dr. Pajet’s outfit and hair in this episode.

    Reply
  94. Isabel

    I learned a lot about fire flies!!

    Reply
  95. Phoebe

    I will cry.

    Reply
  96. Phoebe

    The song is so sad why is it so sad good song just sad?

    Reply
  97. :

    The blue color was so pretty.

    Reply
  98. Aphmau

    I like this video because itโ€™s super pretty and I love the way it glows itโ€™s so pretty๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฉ

    Reply
  99. Nathan

    very very coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

    Reply
  100. Lydia

    I love that song!

    Reply
  101. Zoe

    the fact that you see the guy checkeing his bills and they or past due his son came over to come to cheer him up and he smiled ;] well he was streesd

    Reply
  102. At

    Is there anything else that glows with bioluminescence??๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”

    Reply
  103. Brian

    Fireflies are super duper cool.

    Reply
  104. Brandon

    that look like the stuff you see in Florida’s water a night

    Reply
  105. Kaitlynn

    how do fireflies glow?

    Reply
  106. โ˜†ยฐษžษ›สŸสŸษ‘ยฐโ˜†

    Oh my goodness! This one is my favorite one so far. I wish and hope you guys will make more like this some day.

    Reply
  107. Haley

    how many fireflys do yall think are in the world

    Reply
  108. Roslyn

    so amazing I almost died.
    (X-X)

    Reply
  109. Kassidy

    If fireflies can control their lighting and the speed to attract the females then the ones that are older, not blink as fast as the younger ones possibly?

    Reply
  110. Julian

    It almost made me cry and think stuff in the past ๐Ÿ˜ข ๐Ÿฅบ๐Ÿฅบ๐Ÿฅบ๐Ÿ˜”๐Ÿ˜Œ๐Ÿ˜Œ๐Ÿ˜Œ

    Reply
  111. Julian

    Gosh that was so awesome

    Reply
  112. Louise

    Wow what a cool video

    Reply
  113. Abigail

    this video was AMAZING!!!!!

    Reply
  114. Jaykob

    I love this video and that song in end almost they end had me crying

    Reply
  115. Jaykob

    when will u guys do Another live

    Reply
  116. Newton

    Wow. I did learn a lot about how fireflies glow.

    Reply
  117. Summer

    I really enjoyed this. Thank you.

    Reply
  118. Skylar

    how long do fire flies live

    Reply
  119. Jayde

    Just freaking AMAZING!! I think this has been my fav video yet!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  120. Aj

    Nice intro :0

    Reply
  121. Aj

    very cool :)))

    Reply
  122. Hailey

    I love science it is the most coolest thing Iโ€™ve ever seen in my entire life

    Reply
  123. Tyler

    this firefly experiment is the best one yet truly a work of art keep up the good work guys. also there is one question i have: how IN THE WORLD do you get the stuff for this experiment cause i need it. thank you

    Reply
  124. Tyler

    i love the firefly song

    Reply
  125. Joann

    Love the song

    Reply
  126. Angel

    I love the firefly song so inspiring. This is my favorite video.

    Reply
  127. Charles

    loved the firefly song

    Reply
  128. Charles

    really cool to learn how firefly’s light up bio luminescence. does the alge work the same way

    Reply
  129. Aaron

    Who discovered bioluminescent,s first also great song

    Reply
  130. Katie

    It’s so cool to be able to see this kind of stuff. In the public school I went to they rarely did any labs, let alone something this cool!

    Reply
  131. Samuel

    Yoo I love this one!

    Reply
  132. Desmond

    OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  133. Nataliana

    This is awesome, how long did your experiment glow for?

    Reply
  134. Mia

    Nice Goofy voice.Ha ha!

    Cool! I love Fireflies.

    Reply
  135. Kyree

    How was light made.

    Reply
  136. โ˜oliviaโ˜

    I loved this >โ€ข<!!!! the neon blue color was gorgeous!

    Reply
  137. Coralynn

    this is amazing im glad I do acellus!

    Reply
  138. Zion

    That was amazing

    Reply
  139. Jackson

    That will be my best song I ever hear

    Reply
  140. Nguyแป…n

    It’s sooooooooooooooooooo amazing
    I like Dr john

    Reply
  141. Lam

    It’s sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo amazing!!!

    Reply
  142. Olive

    Cool

    Reply
  143. Bella๐Ÿ˜

    I was pleasantly surprised by the new information I received. It’s one of the reasons why I hold Dr. B in high regard. He consistently shares honest and valuable insights that may not be readily available in traditional educational settings. This is why I hold Acellus in high esteem, as it has provided me with valuable knowledge. I also would love it if Dr. B makes a class with pajet Monet.

    Reply
  144. Sadie

    I love fireflies they where every where when i was a kid

    Reply
  145. Andrew

    I loved to figure out how fireflys light up.

    Reply
  146. Shoshanna

    i love this science video. Fireflies are super cool.

    Reply
  147. Maylee

    love this vid! I would had love to seen it live ! so cool! !(^^)! !(^^)!

    Reply
  148. Maylee

    love this vid! I wish I could’ve seen it live ! so cool! !(^^)! !(^^)!

    Reply
  149. Kaliyah

    Very Interesting experiment, I learned a lot.

    Reply
  150. Michael

    This was really helpful for me because I’ve always wondered how fireflies glow, so thank you dr. Billings, and miss paj’ey for doing this firefly video

    Reply
  151. Sofia

    Thank you very much for the video and lots of useful information .

    Reply
  152. D.

    Wow! The light is so bright! Now I know how fireflies made themself glow. This is amazing!

    Reply
  153. Brooklyn

    that was very cool with the firefly experiment it was very cool and I loved the song

    Reply
  154. Damien

    It was interesting to me

    Reply
  155. Sherif

    Do firefly’s fly glow sometime’s in the day time?

    Reply
  156. Jaxxon

    haha pajets light went out but the alien fixed it haha

    Reply
  157. Janat

    The firefly experiment really took part in representing how bio-luminescent works. I would love watching more experiments like these!

    Reply
  158. Colton

    I liked the bright blue lights, they looked cool!

    Reply
  159. Ramla

    This live experiment soo cool!!

    Reply
  160. Sarai

    This experiment had my mind blown! When I was in public school they never did anything like this.

    Reply
  161. Caleb

    how are the sensors going to be used in the real world?

    Reply
  162. Caysen

    really cool video but it glowed blue

    Reply
  163. Max

    robots will never have the same touch as us humans

    Reply
  164. Azilyn

    The last experiment was so cool! I’ve never seen anything like it!

    Reply
  165. Sophie

    I learned about the chemicals poured together and it glowed! It was bright! This is my first Science live.

    Reply
  166. Elijah

    This would have been super fun to watch live.

    Reply
  167. Jean

    I’ve always been a big fan in bio-luminescent and always wanted to know how it worked. The firefly experiment helped with that, so I’m thanking Dr. Billings for that wonderful presentation. This is one of the many scientific experiments that had been added to my science knowledge. ๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜†

    Reply
  168. Ruth

    i find bio-luminescent things really cool and i would have loved to see it live

    Reply
  169. Ruth

    I find bio-luminescent things very cool and I found it very cool when it was poured into the spiral

    Reply
  170. Ruth

    I find Bio-luminescent stuff very cool and amazing and it was really awesome to see it going down the spiral

    Reply
  171. Elijah

    I Think That bio-luminescent things are really cool and i wish i could’ve seen this live

    Reply
  172. Libby

    I’ve always found Bio-luminescent stuff very interesting so i thought this episode was very cool! especially when the chemicals were poured down the spiral!

    Reply
  173. Logan

    this firefly experiment is the best one yet truly a work of art keep up the good work guys. also there is one question i have: how IN THE WORLD do you get the stuff for this experiment cause i need it. thank you and goodnight/day ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ˜‰ :0

    Reply
  174. Logan

    cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool i NEED to see this live

    Reply
  175. Briana

    This is my FAVORITE one! I remember when I watched this live. The glowing firefly experiment is so cool!

    Reply

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